The Wandmaker
by HPsea
Summary: Sophia is just a normal girl who happens to be best friends with Rose, Scorpius, Ava, and most especially Albus. But when some of these feelings begin to become more than friendly, Sophia doesn't know what to do. Especially since new trouble might be stirring in the Wizarding World and she could be the cause of it. Albus/OC Rose/Scorpius I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER!
1. Meet the Family

*I don't own any images*  
"Sophia Evelyn Wood!" I heard a voice squeal.

"Rose Nymphadora Weasley," I groaned in reply, throwing a pillow at her. "Why are you here so early?"

"It is not early," she huffed. "It is 1:15! And we're supposed to be at the Potter's at 1:30 for Uncle Harry's birthday party." Rose moved to sit on top of me and started bouncing to get me up. "And I can not believe that this is how you greet me after not seeing for three weeks?"

I peered through blurry eyes to see a bushy haired redhead with clear blue eyes and a million freckles staring down at me. I rolled over and tackled her in a hug. "Better?" I questioned with a yawn. "Now, get out so that I can get dressed and so that you can tell me all about France."

I shoved her out the window and she laughed. "Okay! Do not be late." She slipped her leg out the window, winked, and left across to the Potter's roof.

That's right. I live next to THE Harry Potter, who is married to THE Ginny Potter. As in, the one who conquered the Dark Lord and the one who was captain of the Holyhead Harpies for nearly seven years. It's funny how none of my friends knew that they had famous parents until they opened a history book, which wasn't until the first History of Magic lesson. I, of course, had always known that my parents were famous. I mean, I saw Oliver and Alicia Wood play in tons of Quidditch games, for free, every year. Those were basically the only the only times that I got see my parents, although they always come home for the last two weeks of the summer holidays.

I sighed, checking the light purple alarm clock next to my bedside: 1:24. "Shit," I muttered, rushing to my bathroom. I pulled off my oversized white tee, sticking a toothbrush into my mouth. I grabbed a worn pair of muggle skinny jeans and slipped on a loose purple tank top with wooden buttons running down the back. I checked in the mirror to see a freckle-faced girl with light brown hair and dark eyes. I swept the hair out of my face and pinned it back in a loose bun.

Slipping on my sandals, I rushed out of the house. "Think," I muttered to myself, spinning in a circle. "Did I forget anything? Okay. Winky!" I called. "I'm leaving!"

A house elf wearing a toga hurried out of the room. She used to work at Hogwarts, but she was really depressed there because she wanted a real master. My parents asked if she could come and work for us because they needed someone to take care of me while they were at Quidditch practice. She happily obliged and has been part of our family ever since.

"Does young mistress have Harry Potter's birthday gift?" Winky squeaked.

"I knew that I forgot something!" I smacked a hand to my head as the elf scurried off to grab it. "Thanks Winky! I love you!"

I ran to the cottage next door and knocked on the vintage wooden door. The Potter's had also been in France because the minister of France had invited them to give a speech about saving the world, or something like that. They do these types of things all over the world to teach aspiring young aurors how to be awesome and such. Their cousins also had a summer home on the coast, so they always visited even if they weren't giving some crazy important speech.

"Sophia!" Al _**(AN: Imagine him with green eyes)**_ said as he opened the door. My heart sped up a little. Okay, so I had a crush on Al. It wasn't illegal! I mean, not only is he completely gorgeous with messy black hair and forest green eyes, but he was also a genuinely nice person. Most of the time.

"Al!" I responded with a laugh, hugging him. He smelled good, like lemons, pine, and cinnamon. "How are you? How was France?"

"I'm good. The paparazzi wasn't so considerate of ou-" He was cut off by two redheads stomping down the stairs, rushing after a fallen camera. Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione came rushing out of the kitchen at the commotion. Ginny was wiping her hands on her apron. Hermione had her wand drawn and elbowed Ginny as soon as she saw the kids.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, pulling out her wand. Lily and Hugo eyed it nervously.

"Who wants to explain?" Hermione added, pointing her wand at the camera. Wow. Two of the biggest bad-arses out there getting fired up over a fallen camera. I knew I liked the Wotters for a reason.

Lily took a deep breath before launching into her explanation: "We both had embarrassing photos on the camera, and I wanted to delete both of them, because then neither one of us could use them against each other, but Hugo deleted the picture of himself, but not of me, and now he won't give me the goddamned camera!" Lily's face was now as red as her hair and her green eyes were unnaturally bright.

"It's good blackmailing material," Hugo said, the picture of innocence. I knew that there was a reason that kid was in Slytherin. Ginny calmly pointed her wand at the camera, causing it to disappear. Hugo yelped while Lily shot her mum a grateful smile. As they trooped back to the kitchen, Hermione called from behind her, "Nice to see you Sophia! We'll catch up after the gathering?"

"Of course, Hermione!" I choked out, laughing. "It's good to see you too. You as well, Ginny! And Harry and Ron, of course."

"You don't have to include us in the mix." Ron stuck his tongue out at Hermione and pulled her into the kitchen. Very mature.

"Yeah, we know that our wives are the popular ones." Harry kissed Ginny on the forehead, causing Al to gag. They followed the others into the kitchen and Al interrupted my thoughts by calling, "Oh look! It's the worlds biggest prat!"

We turned to see James in of his black haired, hazel eyed glory. He looked nearly identical to his mum with George's personality. Which began to show as he responded, "Oi! I am not! I was the one with enough common sense to avoid the whole scene!" He puffed out his chest to make himself look impressive. "I am _also_ a Seventh Year, meaning that I have more power than _you_."

Conveniently, there was a knock at the door precisely at that moment. Lily opened it and exclaimed, "Uncle George! Aunt Angelina!" Fred, a tan boy with red hair so dark that it almost matched his eyes, shoved past Lily and tackled James. They wear best friends and, along with Jessica Jordan, dubbed the New Marauders by the older teachers.

Lily huffed as Roxie, Fred's sister, a tan girl with curly black hair and the biggest chocolate brown eyes imaginable, ignored her and joined her mum in the kitchen. "Some cousins you are," Lily muttered angrily, flipping her hair over her shoulder and stalking into the living room, which was about the size of a house all on its own, complete with a million muggle and magical games, as well as a muggle pellytision.

"Hey, Roxie," I said as she passed me. "Are you looking forward to your first year at Hogwarts?"

"Nope," she responded, popping the 'p', not looking back at me. I laughed silently at that girls cheek. She would be a great addition to Gryffindor.

"Get the HELL OFF OF ME!" I heard a voice shriek from the living room.

"Well, I would," a sarcastic voice replied. "But I'm not ON you."

I peered into the living room to see the twins, Louis and Dominique, arguing in the front of the fireplace. Fleur and Bill stepped out of the fireplace and, seemingly unfazed by their arguing, calmly walked around their younger children.

"Dom!" Lily squealed, rushing up to her cousin and best friend, suffocating her in a hug.

"L-Squared!" Dom responded, her blue eyes bright and her curly, strawberry-blonde hair flying as her cousin gave her a hug. Louis rolled his eyes at his sisters antics, flipped his light red hair out of his dark blue eyes, and strolled out to join Hugo in a game of Gobstones.

I heard Lily and Dom squeal in unison and knew that their other best friend, Zinnia Jordan, had arrived. Sure enough, when I turned around, I was greeted with the sight of two girls, one with pale skin, curly brown hair, and light blue eyes, the other with similar hair, but with tan skin and black eyes. Fred and James greeted Jessica, the girl with dark eyes, while Dom and Lily dragged Zinnie away. Katie and Lee Jordan stepped out of the fire and went to join the adults in the kitchen.

It was getting kind of loud, so I almost didn't notice that someone was knocking at the front door. When I went to open it, I was immediately swooped up by familiar arms. "Dad!" I cried joyfully. "Mum! I missed you guys so much! How was Quidditch practice?"

"Great," Mum replied, kissing my forehead. "But exhausting."

"Yeah," Dad continued, slipping an arm around Mum and mine's waist. "Competing against the Roman leagues, flying around the entirety of Rome, without getting caught by muggles, of course."

"Of course," I nodded seriously.

"Are you mocking me, young lady?" Dad pretended to be offended.

"But of course not! I would never! I'm just saying, if you're trying to impress me, you'll have to try a bit harder. I could do all that with my eyes closed," I boasted. My face stayed serious for about two seconds before starting to crack up. "Sorry Mum, Dad. You guys are _very_ impressive."

"Okay," Mum said in disbelief. "Well, we're just going to join Ginny in the kitchen, while you play with your friends."

I looked at her indignantly. " _Mum_. I'm _fifteen_. We don't _play_. We _hang out_."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just have fun." Mum and Dad kissed me and went into the kitchen while I waited for the rest of my friends.

Rose and Albus joined me by the door as soon as their Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey came into the room with their daughters Lucy, who was the rebellious one in the family, with her red hair streaked with color and piercings, and their youngest daughter Molly. She was entering her first year at Hogwarts, while her sister was a Sixth Year. Molly was really pretty with dark brown eyes covered in glasses, as well as deep red hair, but she was deadly shy and always had her face covered in a book.

Anyway, they're everyone's least favorite cousins, because Molly refuses to take her head out of her book long enough to make a real difference, Percy, who insists we call him Mr. Weasley, would only babble about some sort of no send that's probably really important to geeks, but just bored the rest of the family, and Audrey would back Percy up and gossip about something at the Ministry. Lucy was the only one in their group that everyone loved, but she didn't count. She was just too _cool_ to be considered Percy and Audrey's daughter.

I turned to avoid Mr. Weasley and bumped into Fleur, who was hurrying to the fireplace to help out a heavily pregnant blonde woman, her daughter Victorie. Her husband, Teddy Lupin, quickly followed, his blue hair turning red to match the numerous Wotter clan. Fleur tried to escort her daughter and son-in-law to the kitchen, where the rest of the adults were, but they insisted on hanging with the kids.

I knew that the Longbottom's arrived when James cried, "Alice," rushing over to a pretty young woman with black hair and blue eyes. She was his girlfriend, but there were already bets on how long they would last. I bet that they would last until graduation, because they are really well suited for each other as _friends_ , but seeing them date was just weird.

The rest of her family soon followed: first Neville, supporting his pregnant wife, Hannah. Ava told me that they were hoping for a boy. Otherwise, and I quote, "They are naming her Frankie as her legal name. Not even Francesca!" Speaking of Ava, she was stepping through the fireplace in all of her curly blonde hair and blue eyed glory. I rushed to grab her in a hug. "I missed you so much!" I squealed. She returned my hug before being enveloped by Albus and Rose.

"Am I missing the party?" I heard a familiar voice ask.

I jumped into the blonds arms and laughed. "Scorp! How was America?"

Scorpius scrunched up his nose. "The talked funny. Anyway, there were a bunch of hot chicks there, so I-"

"Okay," I said, cutting him off with a wave of my hand. "As much as I love you, I don't want to hear about that aspect of your summer. But, how's my favorite cousin doing?" Our mum's were cousins, making us second cousins. I think. I was never good at that genetic stuff, and neither of us had a large family, so we considered ourselves first cousins, not that I get the difference.

He started to respond when Ava pulled him into a hug And he did that weird man hug thing with Al. When he finally reached Rose, he smirked and stuck out a hand. "Weaslette."

"Scorpion," she replied just as coldly. They looked at each other a little longer before Scorpius pulled her into a hug, which she gladly returned. Their relationship was...complicated. To say the least.

"Did you all bring your letters?" Al asked as we trooped up the stairs to his room. While modest looking on the outside, the Potters house was a mansion on the outside with acres of land spreading behind it. Our village was where all the people who fought in the War lived, meaning that it was protected by numerous Aurors just in case something bad were to happen.

Once we had reached the top-I wasn't panting, what gave you that impression- we went down a long hall until we reached Al's room, which was in the attic, just like mine. In fact, you could leap from my window to Al's, which Rose did this morning. But Al's room was pretty much the opposite of mine. His was HUGE, with three red walls and one white one. Drac, his ferret, took up a whole wall just for his cage. Al's bed, which was dressed with a quilt made from his parents old Quidditch jerseys, was against the white wall, along with a stack of comics and nightstand piled with random stuff. Above his bed, was a framed Chocolate Frog collection. He also had a walk-in closet and personal bathroom, but apparently, only girls care about that stuff. (Personally, I think Al would be _crushed_ if he had to share a bathroom with James and Lily, but that's just me.)

But we weren't interested in any of that stuff. We made our way over to the sitting area which consisted of a red leather couch, two black recliners, multiple gold blankets covering both seats, all facing a muggle...chilly vision? Wait! I mean, Pellyvision.

"One, two, three," Ava counted as we ripped open our envelopes.

"I got Ravenclaw prefect," Rose stated in awe.

"Good job, Rosie Posie," Ava said, whipping out a pet name that we only used when something big happened. I watched her carefully as she continued to rift through her envelope. I felt really bad for her, but I was also happy for Rose. I mean, they both deserved Ravenclaw prefect, but there could only be one.

turned to sift through my envelope when a loud whoop interrupted me. "I got Gryffindor prefect!" Albus whooped again and showed Scorp his badge. I snorted (very ladylike, I know). Al was in no way a model wizard and I don't think that I would've given him the position, no matter how hot of a prefect he'll be.

 _Oh my god, did I actually just think that?_

I reached into my envelope and felt a second envelope. I opened it and felt my breath catch as I read it:

'Dear Ms. Wood,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been made Quidditch captain of the Gryffindor team. The first game will be held on November 1. Please let your Head o House know when you would like to hold Quidditch tryouts. The password to the prefect bathroom is _piscus_.

We have no doubt that you will do your best to lead your team to victory.

Headmistress Penelope Clearwater'

"What is it?" Scorpius asked, peering at me through concerned eyes.

I paused and began breathing heavily, as if I was about to give some sort of bad news. "They want me too," I choked out. _Damn, I'm good. I should be an actress for one of those muggle PV shows._ "Be Quidditch captain! I got Quidditch captain."

"No way!" Scorp cried, grabbing the letter from my hands. "Wait. Now I'll actually have to _work_ to get on the team! Come on."

"Oh, shut it, Scorp." Al took my letter and rapped Scorpius in the head. "She deserves it. Although, James is gonna be pissed. He thought that spot was his for sure."

I rolled my eyes and snatched the letter out of his hands while Ava and Rose squealed out of excitement. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. I can really feel the love." I opened the door and called over my shoulder, "If you'll excuse me, I've got to go tell my parents." As I left the room, I heard Rose and Ava discussing the importance of OWL year, while Al and Scorp were talking about what girls they'd been with over the summer.

Don't judge me for liking Al! I said that he was _usually_ a good person, not _always_ a good person.

I bounded down the stairs and noticed that the party had become considerably more packed. The Scamanders had arrived, Luna and Rolf talking to Ginny and Hagrid in the kitchen while their twin sons, Lorcan and Lysander, we're off somewhere hanging out with Louis and Hugo, respectively.

I spotted my parents in the backyard talking to Ron, Harry, as well as the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. I weaved my way through the crowd, screaming, "Mum! Dad!" I waved my letter in the air. "I got Quidditch captain!" My dad swept me up in a bear-hug while mum ruffled my hair. When they were finished congratulating me, I turned to Ron and Harry, who had each given me a hug, and said, "Albus and Rose got prefects."

"Bloody hell, I've got to tell 'Mione. That's three in the family!" Ron exclaimed, scanning the crowd to look for his wife.

"Well, that's a first," Harry chuckled, looking to tell Ginny.

Dad, apparently still excited about me being Quidditch captain, boomed, "You're going to lead your team straight to the championship. How long has it been? Four years?"

"Five," I replied bitterly, thinking about how we'd never won a championship since I'd gotten on the team. "But only because we had that attention-seeking prat of a chaser who would knock team members off their brooms in order to get the Quaffle. Stupid prat. Thank Merlin he graduated last year."

"You're going to be the second best captain Gryffindor has ever seen!"

"Don't you mean third best," Angelina called from across the room.

"No, he meant forth best," Harry shouted from his place next to Hermione.

I'm sure that they would've continued arguing over who had the best captaincy skills had Ginny not called out "Lunch!" at that precise moment. There was a stampede of people as they rushed to get their lunch. I didn't get what the hurry was. The plates magically refilled anyway.

While Al and Rose, used to their family's antics, were right in the thick of things, Ava, Scorp, and I hung back. "I could never imagine being in a family this huge," Scorp commented, leaning against the kitchen counter while Ava leaned her head against mine.

"I dunno," I replied, looking around. "I think we're already in one."

 ** _Author's Note: This is kind of like the prologue where you meet some of the characters, so sorry if it sort of seemed like word vomit. Anywho, I would LOVE it if you would review and tell me what you like, what you don't like, etc._**


	2. It's The Journey

"Do you have all of your books?"

"Yes Mum."

"Your wand?"

"Of course Dad."

"Spinsters?"

"Mum!" I cried, gesturing to the kitten's head that was sticking out of the pocket of my muggle hoodie. "You can see him!" Spinsters meowed in agreement.

"Sorry," Mum said, wiping her eyes. "It's just that this is your Fifth Year. This is a huge year for you! You've got your OWLs , you've been made Quidditch captain- speaking of which, have you got your-"

"Yes, I've got my broom!"

"Sorry, I'll stop now." With that, my dad grabbed my trunk and I grabbed Spinsters bag and we attached the stuff to my father's broomstick. We each mounted our own broomsticks and kicked off at my dad's count. We landed in the parking lot of King's Cross Station (when no muggles were around of course) and I gathered all of my stuff.

"Now then," Dad said as we walked into King's Cross Station. "Are you ready for your Fifth Year at Hogwarts?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," I sighed, pushing my trolley between platforms nine and ten. As soon as I saw the Hogwarts express, I felt the usual air of excitement and tension.

"Promise you'll write about Quidditch tryouts," Dad said seriously. I nodded before giving my parents a quick hug.

"Bye," I hollered, hopping onto the train. "I love you! See you at Christmas!" I walked through the train and found a seat in the fourth compartment to the right, which was where we usually sat. It was usually just our group of five, but sometimes we were joined by our classmates.

I was just getting settled in when I heard someone shriek, "Roxie! Give that back." I looked out the compartment to see Roxie holding a book above her head while Molly looked on.

"Why Molls?" Roxie replied. "Do you seriously like books more than me? I'll give it back to you if you help me prank my brother." Molly shook her head causing Roxie to say, "Oh, you're no fun. Here's your stupid book. Come find me when you learn what the definition of fun."

"See Spinsters," I said, stroking my cat. "Big families aren't always fun."

"You said it," Scorpius added, putting his trunk next to mine before letting his miniature owl, Bagshot, out in our compartment. He barely had two seconds to settle in before a muffled voice squeaked, "A little help here?" I looked over to see a blonde struggling with three trunks and three cages. I wasn't even sure how she got to the compartment with all of that stuff.

"Ava," I said, waving my wand, causing the three bags to fall next to mine and Scorp's. "What happened?"

"Rose and Albus were late to their prefect meeting, so I offered to take their stuff. Could you grab Drac?" I quickly relieved her of the white ferret as she put down the phoenix's cage.

"Oh Fawkes," I murmured, peering into Rose's phoenix's cage. "Was it just your burning day?" The tiny bird hooted feebly before nuzzling down into his makeshift bed. "Is Nila okay?" I asked, turning to Ava.

"Yeah," she replied, pulling out a bright purple toad. "Aren't you?" she cooed, rubbing her nose against the toad's slimy skin. (Yes, toads are back in style. Once people heard that the famous Neville Longbottom owned a toad, the orders came rushing in.)

As the train started to pick up speed, I bumped Ava's shoulder saying, "So, Ava. How's Jonah doing?"

Ava blushed lightly. "I don't know. I don't really talk to him."

"But you're, like, in love with him! Didn't he kiss you at last year's Victory Ball?"

"We've decided to ignore each other and act like it never happened," Ava said firmly, opening up the Quibbler magazine.

"Oh, you're no fun," I grumbled. "I want to know all the juicy deets." I tuned to Scorpius, but before I even asked the question, he answered, "Shagged a few girls, nothing serious." Scorpius was known for dating a girl for a day before ditching her. Albus, on the other hand, will stick with the chick for four days. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why I have fallen for Albus, not Scorpius. Aside for the fact that dating my cousin would be weird, of course.

"Are you ever serious?" I groaned in reply. "You guys have no love life."

"Look who's talking," Scorpius retorted. "Unless you've gotten a boyfriend over the summer that you forgot to mention, your love life's been nonexistent!" I was about to defend myself when Rose and Al came walking in.

"Hi," Rose greeted breathlessly. "Prefect meeting went great. We have tonight's shift, so we can stay with you for the rest of the train ride."

Al rolled his eyes and complained, "You're taking all the fun out of being a prefect. I mean, we can punish people at will! We can't get in trouble from another prefect! Think about all the power we have over Fred and James…" At this, he stared off dreamily, looking a lot like Luna.

"Well, I'm not going to abuse my position," Rose replied, pulling out _Hogwarts: A Revised History_ , by Hermione Weasley. (Where else did you think she found the name Fawkes?)

"Hey Albus," I heard a voice giggle. It was Paige Nott, the image of perfection to a boy with her blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as the slightly too short skirt and a face that you could hardly recognize through all of the makeup. It was no wonder she was the Slytherin playgirl, and unfortunately, she seemed to to be pining after Al this year. Her faithful minion, Tessa McLaggen, a fellow Slytherin playgirl, however with brown hair, followed after Paige. I saw Rose scowl into her book as Tessa blew Scorpius a kiss. I felt trouble brewing and was quite relieved when I heard the familiar, "Anything from the trolley dearies?"

"Grandma!" An old lady with red hair streaked with white and sparkling blue eyes, greeted her grandchildren with giant hugs and free candy.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley," I greeted politely. "How're you?"

"Fabulous," she laughed, handing me a chocolate frog. "Give love to your parents for me!" With a final wave goodbye, Rose and Al reentered our compartment, their arms full of candy and cakes and pumpkin juice. They dumped all of the stuff on the seat next to Scorpius, but as soon as Scorp reached for a Pumpkin Pasty, Rose spilled her pumpkin juice all over him.

"What the hell, Rose?" Scorpius yelped, jumping off of his seat.

"Sorry," Rose smirked, walking out of the compartment.

"Rose!" Scorpius bellowed, running after Rose. "Fix this! You spilled that on purpose!"

"Wow," Al said rolling his eyes. "And I thought being a fifth year would make us grow up a little." I laughed, and he turned towards me. "What did you do while I was in France, Soph?"

"Besides missing you?" Ava put in. I blushed scarlet and quickly interrupted, "I basically spent the summer hanging out with Winky and practicing new Quidditch techniques. But what about your summer? I mean, France!"

Al shrugged. "It wasn't that exciting. The paparazzi didn't really let us tour, or anything. We mostly watched our parents give speeches about the importance of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and all that crap. The only exciting thing that happened was me hooking up with a few of my Aunt Fleur's veela friends. Rose also dragged me to see these Parisian wizarding runes."

"Cool." I ignored the part about him hooking up with veelas. "So, which runes? What did they say?"

"Rose tried to translate, but even the greatest wizards have had trouble doing so." Al rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. "I think it had something to do with the American Wizarding government and how they were going to get revenge, or something. It gave more detail, but that was the basic gist. If you want to know the specifics, ask Rose."

"I-" But I was interrupted by Rose slamming the compartment door on a certain blond, tears threatening to leak from her eyes. Al said, "I'd better go, you guys probably need to get changed, or something," and he rushed out of the room.

"What's up?" Ava asked, rushing to hug Rose.

"I don't want to talk about it," Rose sniffled. "But let's just say that I _never_ want to date."

"Well, Al was right, we do need to get changed," I said, hugging Rose quickly. She nodded, wiping her tears, and we started to change. "Plus, you'll be busy planning Al's party and studying for OWLs , so you won't have any time to moon over Scorpius."

"I'm not mad at Scorpius. I mean, not that mad. I'm just furious at Tessa. After he came chasing after me, she notices the pumpkin juice, and decides to clean him up- _without_ magic. I really didn't need to see them groping each other."

 _She likes Scorpius,_ I thought, pulling on my robes. "I have an idea for Al's party!" I burst out. "We have two weeks to plan his sixteenth birthday and I've got the perfect idea."

It had been a week since the start of the term, (Molly was placed in Ravenclaw while Roxie joined Slytherin) and I was beginning to understand what people meant when they said that the OWL year was the hardest. I'd had so much homework that I've barely had time to breath. Because of our immense workload, I figured that we would have the party on a Saturday night so that people could do their homework on Friday or Sunday afternoon. I had decided that the theme should be club night, so we were setting up a glow-in-the-dark type thing in the joint common room. All of the houses were invited to celebrate, but only fifth years and up were welcome. I mean, we got Fred and James to sneak in Firewhiskey and I don't want any kid to get wasted.

"That looks great," I called to Ava, who was levitating these balls of lights that changed colors. Rose was making colorful trays of food and drinks levitate so people could take as they were dancing or playing our games. There was a dance floor in the middle of the room, which changed colors according to your excitement level. I had transfigured all the couches into white leather and had added some beanbags, which Scorpius said were good places to make out on. My favorite part of the room was the giant neon sign that said 'Happy 16th Al! Don't Expect Something Huge Next Year!'

"Thanks! Since we're done, do you think we could get ready? I got an outfit especially for tonight," Ava called back.

"Me too! How about we use the prefect's bathroom to get changed so we can help each other," Rose squealed.

"Why not?" I sighed. I really wanted everything to be perfect, especially for Rose. The whole reason that I thought we should do a club theme was so that Rose and Scorpius would get together. One of the games was going to be spin-the-bottle, and I charmed it so that if Rose spun, it would land on Scorpius, and vice-versa.

I also may have done the same thing for me and Al. It's not my fault that I really like him! I didn't do it for Jonah and Ava because I knew that they would end up hooking up by the end of the night without any special assistance. They hooked up at every party, for a reason unbeknownst to me, but I'm just going to stay out of her love-life.

Ava, Rose, and I made our way up to the prefect bathroom where our outfits were waiting. (We had already had our spa day earlier.) As we pulled on our clothes and did our hair and makeup, I asked, "Remind me again how we're getting Al there?"

"I had Scorpius tell him that they were going on a double date with these two chicks. Scorp told him that they were meeting in the joint common room at 9:30, which gives us thirty minutes to prepare for their arrival," Rose said. She had made up with Scorpius. Mostly. He was still mad at her, for a reason unbeknownst to me, but they had decided to put aside their troubles for tonight.

After about an hour of putting the finishing touches on our outfits, we revealed them to each other. (We had decided not to show each other beforehand.) "Wow," I gasped. "You guys look hot!"

"Thanks," Rose blushed. She had straightened her hair and had put it in a deep side part. She was wearing a dark-blue halter top that was tucked into tight leather pants. She was wearing silver-studded ballet flats, and to finish off the look, a thick line of dark-blue eyeliner and pink lipgloss.

"You too," Ava exclaimed. Her hair was streaked with red and was pulled back into a million tiny braids. She was wearing a black, strapless dress that came right above her knees. She wore it with bright red pumps and had a smoky eye and red lipstick to match.

I smiled at Ava's compliment. I had borrowed one of my mom's old outfits. It was a dark purple (if you aren't getting that purple's my favorite color, there's something wrong with you) tank top paired with a black leather jacket and boots, as well as black shorts. I made my hair wavy and put some purple feathers in it, each one a different shade, and painted gold eyeshadow on my eyes. To finish off the look, I had put in simple gold hoops and a gold chain for my wrist, as well as my watch, which I never EVER took off. It was the last thing that I had of my grandmother.

"So we all look fierce," I laughed. "Let's get this show on the road!" With that, the three of us made our way down to the joint common room where people had already begun to gather.

"You two go on," I urged Ava and Rose. "I'll stay here so I can greet people and tell everyone when Albus is coming." They nodded, and hurried off to put the finishing touches on the party. I checked my watch and muttered, "Any time now." After about ten more minutes, everyone who was invited was in the common room and my watch squeaked, "Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy will be here in two point five minutes."

I grabbed my wand and made a loud popping noise with it. Once the room had quieted down, I screamed, "Albus will be here in a minute, so if everyone could just be really quiet and then shout 'SURPRISE' when he walks in, that would be-"

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALBUS!" I looked behind me to see a shell-shocked Albus and a grinning Scorpius standing at the door. "Surprise?" I said weakly.

Albus looked at me for a moment before giving me a huge hug. "This is amazing," he laughed, spinning me around. "I can't believe that I didn't know about this! It's everything that I ever dreamed about!" When he finally let go, he really looked and me and his eyes widened. He cleared his throat and said, "You look really nice."

"Thanks," I blushed. "You look nice t-" But he was dragged off by a group of his classmates before I could finish my sentence. I shrugged before going to find Rose. Our schedule gave people an hour and forty minutes to dance and get drunk, before kicking out the older kids and playing a few party games with our year.

The music was pounding and the alcohol was flowing. I found Rose sitting on a couch next to Ava and Jonah, who were snogging their faces off. "What's up?" I asked, sliding next to her, eyeing the couple in disgust. I could tell that they were both already stone-drunk and knew that they wouldn't remember kissing in the morning. Their relationship- if you could call it that- was going to shambles if all they did was drunkenly snog at parties. I didn't understand why Ava didn't just make it official with him! It wasn't as if he wasn't hot. He was pretty sweet looking with a thin frame that wasn't geeky, as well as hazel eyes and brown hair that was streaked with gold.

"Nothing much," Rose responded, looking uncomfortable. "I set a timer so we would know when to start the games."

"I meant with _you_. Not going to drunkenly kiss Scorpius?"

"No!" she blushed. "I strongly disapprove of the alcohol, by the way. Was that your idea?"

"No. Scorpius thought that the older kids would only come if there was booze. I told him that I didn't care if the older kids didn't show up, but by then, Fred and James had already decided that they were coming and that there was going to be Firewhiskey."

"Sounds like them," Rose laughed.

"You never got around to telling me about France! I mean, I tried talking to Al about it, but he basically just told me that he slept with a bunch of girls," I said, rolling my eyes.

"France was amazing! We-" But the timer went off as soon as she began to tell me her analysis of France. (She was very logical, which is probably why she was having trouble dealing with her emotions over Scorpius, which were the the most illogical things on the planet.)

"I keep getting cut off today! Something always happens so that I don't get to finish my sentence or so the person I'm listening to doesn't get to finish their sentence." I glared at the ceiling and continued, "Why, forces above? Why do the faces of Merlin, Dumbledore, and Snape refuse to smile upon me? Why must Voldemort frown upon me?"

"C'mon," Rose laughed, pulling me to the front of the room. " _Sonorous,"_ Rose muttered. I nearly slapped my head. I forgot that there was a spell that amplified your voice! This, my friends, is why Rose is the brains of the operation. "If everyone who is not a fifth year could make their way back to their dorms, that would be greatly appreciated," Rose said, her voice sounding MUCH louder than usual.

As the crowd began to disperse (they went through the doors in the joint common room that led to each of their own houses…don't ask me how, it's magic.), Rose and I gathered our fellow fifth years into multiple small circles on the floor. (Our year was too big to get into one circle.)

"Okay! Is everyone in a circle? Can everyone still hear me? Great. If everyone could look in front of them, you will see a bottle and a spinner attached to a square board. The first thing you will do, is spin the spinner, which can land on one of three options: spin-the-bottle, truth or dare, or seven minutes in heaven. You are then going to spin the bottle and, based on what you rolled, the person it lands on has to do your assignment. Any questions?"

"Yeah," I heard Scorpius drawl. "Can you stop making a game sound like homework? It's supposed to be fun!"

Rose's face flushed pink. "I am going to ignore that and just have everyone enjoy the game."

Rose and I joined Scorpius and Albus' circle, along with Ava, Jonah Perkins, Clara Chang-White (a Ravenclaw), Daniel Terry (a Gryffindor), his twin sister, Jennie (Gryffindor), Lillian Waterrose (Slytherin), Stella McLaggen, yes she was Tessa's twin sister, (Gryffindor), Conner Malker (Slytherin), a couple of people I only recognized by face, and, to my dismay, Tessa and Paige.

"Who wants to go first?" Rose asked.

"Maybe you should go first so you can show people how it works," I suggested. Rose looked flustered as she spun, her turn landing on- I crossed my fingers- truth or dare. I silently groaned as Rose spun the bottle, which landed on Scorpius.

He looked expectantly at Rose, who said, "Truth."

"What age did you have your first kiss?" Scorpius smirked.

"Oh shit," I breathed. Scorpius was one of Rose's best friends and he _knew_ that she hadn't been kissed yet. He must've been mad at Rose if he was willing to embarrass her like this. It was sneaky, the way he decided to still "play nice" with Rose, yet also "play dirty".

"Ihaven'tbeenkissedyet," Rose muttered quickly.

"Sorry, didn't catch that," Scorpius said pleasantly, though his eyes were narrowed slightly.

"I have not had my first kiss yet," Rose said confidently, but her face was still as red as her hair.

"Okay!" I said loudly. "Scorpius, it's your turn. Spin." Scorpius flicked the arrow, which landed on truth or dare. He then spun the bottle, which landed on Tessa. I looked shocked for a moment, before I remembered that I only charmed the bottle to land on Rose if it was one of the romantic ones.

"Dare," Scorpius said, his voice knocking me out of my thoughts.

"I dare you," Tessa said slyly. "To take off your shirt." I saw Rose look up, and I desperately hoped that he would refuse to take his shirt off. Alas, no such luck. He slipped off his shirt with a smirk and threw it over his shoulder. I saw Tessa eyeing his abs hungrily at the same time Rose was determinedly looking anywhere _but_ there. I didn't even have to prompt Tessa to spin, she just immediately spun, which landed on spin-the-bottle.

I squeezed my eyes shut, praying that the bottle didn't land on Scorpius. A squeal from Tessa told me that my wish did not come true. I opened my eyes to see Tessa brush her lips against Scorpius', then Scorpius deepened the kiss, and they were soon in an all out snog session. I swear, I could literally see their tongues mixing and the sounds Tessa was making was definantly something that should be saved for the bedroom.

I was hoping that I was the only one who noticed these disgusting details, but knew it was wishful thinking as I saw a flash of red hair exiting the room, and, before I went after it, I screamed, "Get a room, you insensitive prat!"

I found Rose staring blankly at a wall right outside of the party room. "Are you okay?" I asked tentatively.

"May I be frank with you?" Rose asked, turning toward me. I nodded my head slowly. "You know how I am always the rational one? Everything I do needs to make sense and it needs to have a reason. But recently, I have kind of figured out that I fancy, um, Scorpius. But it does not make any sense!" Her voice rose greatly at this, almost accusingly. "I have gone through every possible scenario, and every single one of them ends badly. According to the spells on perfect partnering, I should be with someone smart, kind, and wholesome, everything that Scorpius is not. Please, I need-"

"Hold up!" I cut off Rose's rambling. "What you _need_ right now, is to get back in there and make Scorpius jealous. I'll charm it so that when a boy spins the bottle, it will land on you."

"That is not how I imagined my first kiss."

"Okay. Plan B. Seven minutes in heaven with a boy. Scorpius won't be able to see what's going on in there, and you don't have to do anything. He'll just assume that you're doing something with the guy and he'll become super jealous. You know, come to think of it, that might be what Scorpius is trying to do."

"Whatever," Rose muttered as I pulled her back inside, where Scorpius and Tessa were still at it.

"Okay!" I called to my circle. "How about we continue our game?" Scorpius and Tessa had broken up by then, but they were still sitting closer than was appropriate. (As in, Tessa was sitting in Scorp's lap, leaning against his bare stomach. Granted, she was also practically naked, wearing a short pink dress that barely covered her bum and most certainly didn't cover her breasts.) "Does anyone want to volunteer to restart the game? Of course," I muttered, as Paige kneeled over to reach the spinner.

"Oh goody!" Paige squealed as the spinner landed on seven minutes in heaven. Her smile widened as the bottle landed on Albus. I saw her slip something into the back of her shorts, which didn't cover her bum.

Albus smirked at Paige, who gave a seductive smile. (I think. To me it looked as if she was slightly constipated.) I grudgingly made a closet appear and warned them, "I'm setting a timer for seven minutes, but a bell will ring a minute before the closet disappers, so you have a chance to, erm, collect your crap." I wasn't even sure that they heard me as they were practically already in the closet halfway through my speech.

"So," I continued. "We could continue our game without them, or-"

"We can listen to them in the closet," Scorp interrupted. Tessa (shocker) agreed instantly, kissing his neck.

"That is an invasion of privacy," Rose hissed to him. I saw a glimmer of worry in her eyes as she said this and I remember our plan B, which wouldn't work if everyone was listening.

"Like you know anything about needing privacy," Scorpius shot back. "You've never been kissed, you're never going to be kissed, and therefore, you'll never need privacy."

 _DANGERDANGERDANGERDANGER_ , I thought as I noticed Rose's face turning a deeper red than I thought possible.

"Rose," I said, a note of warning in my voice. I knew what she was going to do before she did it.

She reached down, grabbed Conner's shirt, and kissed him furiously. Conner quickly responded, his hands moving down to her bottom. I saw her visibly hesitate, but when she noticed Scorp glaring, she just deepened the kiss.

Needless to say, nobody really noticed when the closet around Paige and Albus disappeared. They did, however, notice when they saw what the closet had left behind. I stared in disgust at Paige, a Paige who was in nothing but a bra and underwear, and at Albus, who, thank Merlin, had everything on except his shirt. This wasn't even the most disgusting part: Paige and Al looked like one person. I couldn't distinguish one body from the other. They didn't even look remotely abashed.

And just like that, I fled. I couldn't hear anything and I didn't stop until I reached my dormitory. I ripped off my outfit and rubbed off my makeup. I wasn't even that sure why I was so upset. I mean, yeah, I liked Al, but Rose liked Scorpius and she went back in. I think it had less to do with the fact that I liked him, and more to do with the fact that he was basically having, erm, doing something with Paige in public, and he didn't care that he was caught.

I changed into PJs, went into the Ravenclaw dormitory, and waited for Rose to come back, which she did nearly twenty minutes later, dragging along a drunk Ava, who Rose put in the bathroom arranging a sleeping bag for her. I knew that she just didn't want to deal with listening to Ava vomit throughout the night, and she was probably the only smashed Ravenclaw.

"What happened after I left?" I demanded.  
"Um," Rose started uncomfortably. I glared at her. "Okay, fine. Paige and Albus probably went to hookup, Scorpius left Tessa after I snogged Conner to do, well, I don't know what. I left him, by the way. Conner. I just snogged him to make Scorpius jealous, but I regretted it right after. And, yeah."

"I'm sorry Rose," I sighed. "I know that's not how you wanted your first kiss. I can't believe Scorp would pressure you to do that."

"It was partially my fault," Rose admitted. I looks at her questioningly. "Not now," she said, curling up into a ball. "Maybe tomorrow." I nodded in agreement.

Overall, this was _not_ the night that I had wanted it to be.


	3. The Aftermath

_I was gliding through the woods, the trees much like the ones in the Forbidden Forest. I couldn't see, but I could certainly feel. There was a strong grip around my entire body, which felt stiffer than usual._

 _I felt more and realized that I didn't have a body; I was a wand. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't._ I was a wand _, I thought urgently._

 _I heard a tree branch snap as the owner came to a stop. There was a strange rustling sound and I heard a frail voice plead, "I do not know who the new wandmaker is! It is not me! It is not- AAAH!"_

 _There was a nawing pain in my core, which I felt was that of Unicorn hair, and knew that someone had just place the Crucio curse on the old man. His voice was familiar, but I didn't know from where. I tried to concentrate, but was forced to give my full attention to the owner of the wand as he started speaking again.  
"Tell me who it is, old man," the deep voice hissed. "I do not liked to be played with. There hasn't been a new wandmaker in over a millennia, don't think you can trick me into thinking there is one now."_

 _Then there was such pain in my core, my whole body was on fire. I felt my throat become hoarse from silently screaming._

"Shut _the hell_ up." I felt a pillow hit me in the face. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a dream.

"Sorry," I said, relieved that the whole scene was fake and that nobody was _actually_ doing forbidden spells. But I was still a bit weary of the whole thing. It just felt so _real_.

I checked the time on my watch. 6:00. _6:00 in the freakin' morning._ I groaned and felt another pillow hit my back. I turned toward the bed Tasha Rosenberg was sleeping in. "Quit it," I snapped.

Tasha just rolled over in her bed. She was one of the most annoying people in the Hogwarts. Most of my roommates drove me nuts. Stella and Imogen Parks were nice enough, but most of the other Gryffindor girls were typical teenagers. You know, the kind that didn't care about anyone but themselves and were hard fangirls. The kind that asked if Al had a girlfriend nearly _every day_.

 _Al._ All the events from last night came rushing back to me from last night. Scorpius kissing Tessa. Rose crying. Rose kissing Conner.

 _Al hooking up with Paige._

I felt really cold all of a sudden. I pulled on a ratty gray sweatshirt from my closet and slipped it over my PJs before going down to the Common Room.

"Where are you going?" Gertrude MacMillan asked sleepily. She was one of the nicer girls in my dormitory, and you could tell by looking at her. Whereas the other girls had their hair dyed luminescent colors, her hair was a natural brown. I mean, her best friend was still Tasha, a girl who had bright pink highlights, but she was sort of my ally amidst the roomies from hell.  
It's weird to be lonely in a room with about thirty other girls. (There were five separate quarters that were connected together.)

"I'm just going out to think," I responded quietly, dodging yet _another_ pillow on the way out.

I turned to sit on the couch when I noticed a tall figure already leaning against the sofa. His eyes were closed and he seemed to be sleeping. "Scorp?"

Scorpius peered at me through blurry eyes. "Hey Soph."

"What are you doing down here? Did you sleep here all night?"

Scorpius looked uncomfortable before responding, "Most of the guys, you know, brought their girls into our dorm. And, even with silencing charms, if you're not up there to have sex, it's just weird to be in there. I mean, anyone who didn't hook up with someone is sleeping down here."

I was about to ask about Al and Paige, but something else was bothering me. "Why didn't you bring Tessa up? You _never_ miss an opportunity to sleep with a girl."

"Because of Rose freakin' Weasley!" He growled. "She cursed me on the train! Tessa was cleaning me up after _she_ spilled the juice on me, and Rose appears out of nowhere, and suddenly, I had a rash all over my legs that won't go away until I 'commit myself to a real relationship'." He said the last few words in a high pitched voice, as if he was trying to imitate Rose.

I thought for a few moments before saying the intelligent word of "Oh."

Scorp looked at me in disbelief. "Oh. _Oh._ After telling you I've been cursed, the only thing you can think of is _oh."_

"Well, I mean, I'm sure if you apologize to Rose, she'll remove the curse. Then you can go back to your life where you sleep around, are unhappy because you can't find anyone to settle down with, and eventually, go to Azkaban or muggle prison because you couldn't find a job and had to do something illegal to make money. Does that sound like a plan?"

Scorpius gaped at me and I let out a breath of air. "Sorry," I mumbled. "Just ask her, I'm sure she'll remove it." When he continued to stare, I added, "I'm not mad at you, or your lifestyle. I'm just a bit on edge from everything." I told him about my dream and about how it was weird to see Al in the closet with Paige, but not because I was jealous. Nope. Because it was weird to see my enemy kissing one of my best friends.

"Yeah, I geddit. I think it'd be weird if you were going out with, I dunno, Jesse." His eyes grew mischievous. "Maybe you should tell Professor Trelawney about your dream. I'm sure she would do a _brilliant_ job at interpreting it." He made his voice go raspy in an imitation of Trelawney. "My dear, you are going to drop dead in a matter of seconds! Oh dear, you have the grim!"

I burst into laughter. "Okay wise guy. I've got to get dressed," I said glancing at my watch. "I need to meet Professor Longbottom to see about setting up a date for Quidditch trials. I'm thinking next Saturday. At, like, six in the morning." I sent a smirk in his direction.

His mouth dropped open. "No fair!" He complained. "Tessa's having an invite only, super wild, awesome party on Friday night! Everyone's gonna come hung over." In reply, I sent him a wave and hurried up the girls staircase.

I had showered and gotten dressed all before 7:30. On a weekend. Naturally, when I went down to breakfast, there was no one else there except for a few blury-eyed seventh years.

I poured myself a glass of juice and pondered the meaning of life.

I'm serious! I was wondering why it had to be _me_ that had creepy visions, why _I_ had to have a crush on Albus Potter, and why _I_ needed to be the only girl who he was off-limits to.

"Hey." Someone sat down next to me. I wasn't in the best mood, so I grumbled a greeting to whoever it was.

"Well someone's in a good mood today," the voice laughed. The very _familier_ voice. If you're thinking that it's Albus, the one person I don't want to see, then you are absolutely correct. My face immediately flushed.

"Sorry," I mumbled as Al put a cinnamon roll on his plate.

"I never thanked you for the party," he claimed casually.

Seriously?! He had to bring up the party of doom?! I couldn't help it. I let out my pent up anger, looking him square in his beautiful green eyes.

"Did you have fun? Or were you too busy off shagging Paige to enjoy all of it?"

Al looked shocked. "What?"

"I know that you brought her up to your dorm! Scorpius told me."

"What's it to you?" He shot back, and my heart sank. He actually _did_ sleep with her. "It's not of your business who I hang out with!"

We had both gotten up at this point, and I'm pretty sure both of our faces were a Weasley red.

"Oh, because you call sticking your tongue down her throat hanging out! We're best friends Al, but you wouldn't do that to me!" As soon as I said that, I felt my heart beat faster. I hadn't realized how close we had gotten. My nose touched his and I felt his warm breath on my cheeks. I could've sworn his eyes flickered to my lips, but just when I thought something might happen, I heard someone bellow, "What do you mean you don't know how to remove it?" Of bloody course.

I turned towards the enterence hall where Rose had tears streaming down her face and Scorpius looked like he could hit something. "I am sorry Scorpius! I read it off an ancient rune! I didn't even realize that it was a real curse!"

"How does this work exactly?" Scorpius hissed. I heard Rose mumble something and Scorpius cried out in dismay. "I have to stay with the last person I kissed until they break up with me!"  
"Or find your true love!"  
Al turned towards me with a confused expression, thankfully standing farther away now. "What are they going on about?"

I ran a hand through my smooth hair and said, "I'll explain if you come with me to the Black Lake. I mean, I'm up for being cursed of you are, but I'd prefer to keep my head on." I gestured to Rose and Scorpius, where they did indeed have their wands pulled out.

"Come on," Al sighed. We walked in an uncomfortable silence to the Lake. I hated it, so to break the awkward silence, I blurted out, "I had a nightmare last night."

He stopped and looked at me, his expression one of concern. "What do you mean? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just felt so real. And I've never seen or heard that person in my life. It didn't feel like a dream, it felt more like a vision. Which is silly," I quickly rushed on, "because it's impossible to get visions."

Al looked thoughtful. "My dad used to have dreams that turned out to be true. He even saved Grandpa Weasley once. Grandmum loves to tell us that story."

"But he had part of You-Know-Who within him, so he could have access to his thoughts." I nervously twisted a strand of my hair.

"Maybe." Al shrugged. "Just keep me posted." I nodded and we continued on our way. He told me about Paris and I told him why Scorpius was mad at Rose (to say the least).

He burst out laughing at this. "Awe man! He has to commit to a relationship? With Tessa?! He's gonna have that rash for the rest of his life!"

I punched Al in the stomach. Very hard stomach, might I add. I probably shouldn't, but when you've got a crush on a guy, you tend to notice little things about him. Like how he's really fit.

We were passing by Professor Longbottom's office, when I remembered about Quidditch tryouts. "Hold up," I told Al. "I need to schedule Quidditch tryouts." I knocked on the professor's door, and heard the faint response of, "Come in!"

"Hey Nev- I mean, Professor Longbottom," I said walking into the room with Al, who said, "Hi Uncle Neville." That kid has no shame.

"Sophia, Al," Neville said, smiling warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could book the field on Saturday for Quidditch tryouts. I was thinking that I could hold tryouts at around six in the morning."

Albus blanched. "Six?! Come on Soph! We have a par-" Albus faltered, shooting a look at Neville, who was looking at the ceiling, pretending that he couldn't hear. I guess that was the upside to having a family member as a teacher: you can get away with a lot of things, such as party's that weren't supposed to even happen. A party that I wasn't invited to, but whatever.

I ignored Albus. "Is the field available on Saturday?"

"I think that I can arrange that." Neville winked at me, before ushering us out of his office.

As soon as we left, Al complained, "Why Saturday? Everyone's going to come hung over!"

"Exactly!" I cried. "Now I'll know who's dedicated to Quidditch! And you _better_ be there."

Albus sighed. "You know I will be."

I gave him a quick hug that sent my stomach fluttering. "See you tomorrow!"

"Our first Divination class of the year," he reminded me.

"Why do we still take that class?" I groaned.

"'Cause dad and Uncle Ron thought it would be funny to tell us that it was the best class ever. And you agreed to take it with me."

"Right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Her OWL is going to be impossible."

"Maybe you can figure out your dream in class," Al suggested.

"Maybe," I laughed. "Right now, I need to comfort Rose and tell Ava all of the ridiculous things she did last night so she knows what to regret. Later!" And with a wave, I went off, hoping that I wouldn't have another weird dream.


	4. The Dream Oracle

Okay. Remember how I hoped that I wouldn't have anymore dreams?

Well, apparently, nobody was listening since I had one.

I had woken up at around five because I had another one of those freaky dreams that feel so real. This one also mentioned the new wandmaker, but it wasn't as vivid as the first, so I couldn't make out all the words. I think it was because the wand-nine inches cherry and dragon heartstring- was a weak wand with a weak owner.

Please don't ask me how I knew, I just did, and I really don't want to talk about it. It kind of freaks me out.

Anyway, after I woke up, I snuck away to the prefects bathroom, which Quidditch captains had access too, and slipped into the giant tub. I breathed in the mingling scents of mint, cherry, and vanilla while the hundreds of multicolored bubbles surrounded me.

I quickly washed my hair and body and slipped into my uniform. I slipped my silky light brown hair into a ponytail and took a breath, feeling more like myself.

"The dreams mean nothing, Sophia," I told myself firmly, looking in the mirror. "They're just freak nightmares."

"You had another dream?"

I turned around so fast that I slipped on my robes. "Fudge," I cried, feeling my ankle twist. "What the hell?"

"Sorry," Al said sheepishly, helping me up. I cried in pain as I tried to put pressure on my ankle.

"What did you do that for?" I glared at Al, trying to ignore the pain in my ankle.

"I didn't mean to hurt you! But you told me that you would tell me if you had anymore dreams."

"Maybe I would have! I could've told you at breakfast!"

"You wouldn't have," Al said softly. "You talk to yourself in the mirror when you feel like you don't have anyone else to talk too." I suddenly realized that we were standing in the middle of a bathroom, and that Al probably wanted to bathe.

Naked.

 _Stop it, Sophia_ , I chided myself. _Don't think like that._

"I have to go," I stammered. I tried to put pressure on my ankle, but nearly collapsed under the pain.

"Are you okay?" Al asked, hurrying to help me.

"Just great," I said through gritted teeth. "And before you say so, I am _not_ going to the Hospital Wing. I'll be fine."

"No, you won't." He laughed as I tried to hobble out of the bathroom. "Just go. It'll take seconds for Madame Smith to fix your ankle."

He took my hand and made me wrap it around his waist. He was really close to me and I had to repress a shiver. "I guess I don't have a choice," I said as he walked me out.

"Yep. I have full advantage over you! I bet if I let you go, you would need to grab onto me to keep steady. Want to test the theory?" With that, he almost pushed me over the stairs and I had to grab onto him.

"You prat!" I exclaimed, smacking him as he cracked up. "You could've killed me!"

"Awe, don't be like that. It wouldn't have killed you! It might have just injured you more," he pointed out. "We were already heading to the Hospital Wing anyway!"

"Shut up," I grumbled, trying to put weight on my foot again.

"I really am sorry," Al said. I met his eyes before grabbing onto his waist again.

"Let's go," I said, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach. "We need to get there before class."

We walked in silence for a few minutes before Al piped up, "You gonna tell me about the dream?"

"It wasn't as bad this time," I mumbled, surrendering to his puppy dog green eyes. "I didn't really 'see' anything this time though. But I heard about the new wandmaker again. Do you think it means anything?"

Al shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe you should ask Rose. She spent hours pouring over these Parisian prophesies. Maybe one of them could help you?"

"I _would_ ask her," I complained. "But she's too busy moaning about Scor..." I trailed off, realizing that I probably shouldn't have said anything about her crush. "How much longer 'til we get to the Hospital Wing?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

He shot me a suspicious look, but answered saying, "Probably not long. I know that you can't wait to get to Divination though. You know, so Trelawney can interpret your dreams?" I laughed. I liked when we just talked, like the time before I got my crush.

"Yeah, right. Because I really want to know that I'm going to die tomorrow." We stopped in front of the Hospital Wing. "I'm good now," I told Al. "Save me some breakfast!"

"Yeah, no," he said, opening the door for me. "If I left you here alone, you wouldn't go in." I glared as he helped me hobble into the Hospital Wing. "Hello!" I called, looking for Madame Smith. "Is anyone here?"

"Yes dear?" the young nurse asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Um. I think I might have sprained my foot, but can we do this quickly? It's my first Divination class today, and I don't want to be late."

She tsked when I said Divination, muttering things about Fifth Year and Umbridge and stupid prophesies as she looked over my foot. She waved her wand over it and I flexed my foot, immediately felt better. Then she said, giving Al a purple potion, "Make sure that she drinks this with her breakfast and she should be fine." Then, turning back towards me, she continued, "Usually I would keep you here for breakfast, but it's not a bad sprain."

"Madame Smith!" a voice screeched. I turned and saw Lily and Zinnie dragging a bruised Dom between them.

"What did she trip over this time?" Smith asked with a sigh. "I swear, Ms. Weasley trips over air."

"Feel better, Dommy." I waved and went to meet my friends for breakfast. I wasn't worried about Dom; she was the clumsiest person I knew, so she would be fine. I mean, she's used to it.

My ankle was starting to throb, and I had an urge to drink my potion without eating. "Don't do it," Al said, thankfully (or regretfully) standing a bit of a distance from me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Drink the potion before you've eaten. This is why she gave me the medicine and not you."

"Screw you," I muttered, limping up the stairs.

"You wish," Al shot back cheekily.

I sputtered as Rose and Ava came through the hallway, rushing towards us. "Hey," Ava called. "You guys missed breakfast so we brought you some toast and jam." She offered me a slightly squished parcel while Rose gave the other one to Al.

"Thanks Aves!" I said, inhaling the toast. I chugged the potion down as soon as I finished and immediately I felt my ankle repair itself. I whooped in delight and did a little happy dance when I noticed Rose and Ava staring at me. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just an odd chick, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yes. On multiple occasions." I linked arms with the girls, Al trailing behind us, shaking his head, and we skipped off to Divination.

Now, don't tell anyone, but Divination is secretly my favorite class. I mean, I could take naps and tell Professor Trelawney that I was refocusing my Inner Eye, whatever that means. Rose, of course, just focuses on trying to impress the old bat. Trelawney is the only teacher who seems to actively hate Rose without a real reason.

I climbed up the bazillion stairs before reaching the ladder. I scanned the room before my eyes came to land on Scorp sitting at the table in the back and noticed as Rose dragged Ava to the opposite side of the room.

"Hey," I said, sitting next to Scorp, Al sitting on the opposite side of me. I was always closer with the boys. I guess you could say that I was a bit of a tomboy.

"Rose is a bitch," he growled in response. I narrowed my eyes and punched him the stomach. What? Rose was still my best friend!

"I guess I deserved that," he choked out, clutching his stomach.

"Damn right you did," I started to say, but was soon cut off by a mystical voice saying, "I sense that you are angry about something, Ms Wood. Of course, I knew that this would happen, and could have protected Mr Malfoy if I wanted too, I just prefer to let fate play its part."

I rolled my eyes before putting on a fake smile. "I'm so sorry, Professor. This won't happen again."

"This year is OWL year," Trelawney continued dreamily. "Not that I believe that exams have the ability to judge whether or not one has the Inner Eye. This semester we will be focusing on interpreting dreams." I groaned at this, causing Trelawney to shoot me a dirty look before reassuming her mystical presence. "As I was saying, this semester we will be focusing on dream interpretation. Next semester we will be diving into the art of reading a crystal ball, but until then, please open Inigo Amago's _The Dream Oracle_ and divide into pairs to interpret recent dreams."

I felt a tap on my arm and found myself looking into emrald green eyes. "Partners?" Al asked.

I glared at him knowing that he wanted to try and discuss my weird dreams, but grumbled, "Fine," nonetheless.

"That a girl." Al grinned and plopped down our textbook on the empty table next to us. Scorp moved to pair up with Jacob Creevey. "So," Al said seriously. "Do you think we should look up 'wandmaker' as your subject?" He flipped through a few pages before coming to a stop. "That's weird. Sophia, look."

He shoved the book under my nose. "Okay! Jeez." I scanned the page before coming to stop on the word 'wandmaker'. "'Wandmaker,'" I read aloud. "'In a magical beings dream, this word could have drastic consequences that shall not be discussed in this book.' What does that mean?" I asked nervously.

Al looked at me grimly. "Only one way to find out. Professor!" Al called.

"Al, no." I tried to grab his arm, but Trelawney had already heard him.

"Yes, my dears? I sense that there is something upsetting your aura." She looked down.

"Wandmaker?" she asked curiously. I guess that her saying the word was what did it because at that moment I was put in a trance like state.

"Blackthorn and dragon heartstring, nine and three-quarters inches long, stiff" I chanted in a weird voice, turning towards Tasha, who nervously fingered her wand. "A natural fighter. You will soon face a decision that could change the outcome. Remember who your friends are. Hawthorne and Phoenix feather, eleven and a half inches long, whippy." I turned towards Scorpius. "You need to face the truth and you will come to peace with yourself." I shuddered and turned to Rose. "Willow and Phoenix feather, twelve inches long. You and Scorpius are connected in more ways than one. Don't forget that all people need to be healed, yet not all deserve to be." I probably could have gone on all day, but I received a sharp blow to the head and collapsed on the floor.

Right before blacking out, I remember thinking one thing: _that was weird_


	5. The New Wandmaker

"It's been a week and a half, we should consider moving her to St. Mungo's."

"We _can't_! Rose and I are coming up with a plan, and it'll work, I know it will!"

"Ava, we might have to. They are a more advanced group of Healers and they have access to medication that we just can't offer her."

I heard a choking sound and something creak before the sobbing came. _Open your eyes, Sophia. Open your freaking eyes!_ I felt someone take my hand and my eyes shot open and I said, "Cedar and Phoenix, twelve and a half inches long, remember who you are loyal to or it will change the outcome," before flopping down onto my bed, unable to reopen my eyes.

I was probably in that state for another five days, just feeling all of the different wands, understanding who they belonged to, and even noticing the wands that didn't yet have an owner.

"Sophia," a voice whispered. "We need you to wake up."

"Yeah, I mean, if you don't wake up now, you'll be even more behind on your schoolwork!"

"Wow, Rose, I'm sure she's really feeling the need to wake up now."

"I'm just trying to give her some sort of incentive! I mean she's being moved to St. Mungo's tomorrow if she isn't awake."

"You should've started with that." I blearily opened my eyes to see Al, Rose, Ava, and Scorp crowded around my bed, their faced stunned.

"Sophia?" Scorp asked hesitantly, reaching for my hand.

"Yeah," I answered, squeezing it to let him know that I was real. "You think you could get me some water?"

Al nearly tripped over himself to get me the water, which I greedily gulped down, while Rose went to fetch Madame Smith. She was quick to shoo out my friends so that she could begin to poke and prod me, as well as give me disgustingly bitter potions so gulp down and making sure that I didn't fall asleep.

Twenty eight hours, four minutes, and twenty seven seconds. That's how long it's been since I woke up.

Twenty eight hours, four minutes, and twenty seven seconds of being hugged, cried over, and tested on.

It wasn't all bad, but I still wasn't allowed to leave the Hospital Wing. Somebody was watching me every single second of the day to make sure the whole thing wasn't a fluke and to make sure that I wouldn't fall back into a coma.  
Right now, Madame Smith was fussing over me (as always) and Ava and Rose were sitting by my bedside, helping me makeup the work that I missed. (Meaning that they were _doing_ the work that I missed.)

"Okay," Ava said, pouring over a Potions assignment. "So if you add the powdered Lacewings here, and then crush the seeds there, you should end up with that. See?"

I nodded absentmindedly. "Sophia!" Rose reprimanded. "Are you listening to a word we're saying?"

"Not really," I answered cheerfully. They both sighed and gathered up my assignments before making their way out of the door.

"Well, it is dinner time and Al wanted to eat with you. We'll come visit again tomorrow!"

"Some friends you are!" I called back at them, slumping into my pillows as Ava shot me a sympathetic grin from over her shoulder. I let out a steady stream of curses when a chuckle interrupted my profanities.

"Language, Soph. You don't want to curse yourself back into a coma." Al stood by the door, grinning at me.

"First of all," I said, trying not to smile, "that doesn't even make sense. Second off, are you going to stand by the door the whole time, or are you going to enjoy my magnificent company?" Al laughed and sat down next to me on the bed so that out feet were touching, causing me to blush slightly. "Have you eaten?"

He shrugged. "Nah. Dinner hadn't started yet, so I figured that I would just steal some of your food."

"Such a gentleman," I teased. "Oi, Madame Smith! I'm hungry!"

Madame Smith bustled out of her office, carrying a tray of assorted potions and sandwiches. "Mr. Potter, beds are for patients only, I'm sure your girlfriend wouldn't mind it if you sat next to her and not on her."

"He's not my boyfriend," I argued.

Al just laughed and said, "It's good to see you too, Smith," sliding off the bed and sitting in the chair next to my bed, putting his feet over mine.

"You're touching me," I realized with a start.

He looked confused. "Do you want me to move? I can move my feet if you want."

"Nah. It's just, nobody else has been touching me. But I'm pretty sure that I can control whatever weird thing happened to me! The whole time that I was in a coma, I could feel all the wands in the world, so I don't think that it'll be triggered by... whatever triggered it."

Before Al could respond, Madame Smith bustled up and set the tray down on my lap. "Take one blue potion before your meal, and one after, and don't forget the yellow one. You forgot to take it last time." Smith went back into her office as I muttered, "I didn't forget to take it. I just didn't want to take another one of your stupid potion."

"I heard that!"

"You were meant too!" I called back. Albus choked on the gulp of Pumpkin Juice he had taken. He smiled at me and I grinned back, taking a bite of my cucumber sandwich. I was a vegetarian, which meant that I was constantly being teased by my friends. Not because I was a vegetarian, but because the last time I went on a date, he had eaten chicken for lunch, and I freaked out when he tried to kiss me. A more accurate description would be that I pushed him into the Black Lake and accused him of not listening to a word that I said.

"How have you been holding up? Have you heard from your parents?" Al asked, chewing on the other half of my sandwich.

"Mum and Dad Flooed in this morning for an hour. But they're both really busy." I looked down at my hands. I knew that my parent's were busy and everything, and I loved them to death, but sometimes I wondered if the only reason that we had a good relationship was because I saw them so little. They didn't even bother to stay for more than an hour and I had been unconscious for nearly two weeks.

"Hey, you okay?" Al said through a full mouth.

I rolled my eyes and handed him a napkin. "Yeah, just thinking about how you probably shouldn't eat around your girlfriend." He gave me a look of disbelief. "Look, I'm already in the hospital, I really don't want to talk about my negative thoughts.

Al shrugged and said, "Do you want me to tell you about the epic prank the New Marauders pulled last night? Actually, it was only epic for them. They turned all of-" I laughed and nodded along to Al's story.

I was finally let out of the Hospital Wing a week later, and the first class that I had back was Muggle Studies. Ava and Rose took Ancient Runes during that period, but I got to hang out with Scorp and Al, which was nice. To be honest, I had always been more 'one of the boys'.

Anyway, we were walking back from Muggle Studies when I felt a strong presence behind me. "Hazel and Unicorn, nine and a half inches. You're emotions are blocking your prophetic senses," I recited. "Hello, Professor Trelawney." Al and Scorp looked at me... not weirdly, exactly, just like they couldn't believe that I could do that.

She peered at me through her owl eyes and said in her mystical voice, "I have seen in my crystal ball that you shall be joining me in private lessons every Thursday afternoon."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "You _saw_ that. Aren't you the one that decides if a student needs extra classes?"

Al started to laugh and Trelawney shuffled away, saying, "The fates and I shall see you this Thursday at 7:00."

"Okay, your majesty." Scorp, Al, and I burst into laughter. "C'mon, we need to get to the Great Hall. We told Rose and Ava that we'd meet them there, like, yesterday." I grabbed them both by the arm and dragged them behind me.

When we got to the Great Hall, Rose and Ava were both giggling about something. "What is it?" Scorp asked, stealing a chip from Ava's plate. "Have you finally killed Jonah? Is that what you're being all girly about?"

"Actually," Ava said, smacking Scorp's hand away playfully. "Rosie here just got asked out by Conner."

I saw Al tense up. "Where is he, do you need me to kill him?" he said at the same time as Scorp asked, "Did you say yes?" He looked stiff, as if he were holding himself back from punching something.

Rose was bright red. "Please do not kill anyone Al, if you do, I won't be visiting you in Azkaban. And, not that it's any of your business, but I said yes. Is there any reason that I shouldn't have?" Her bright blue eyes were wide and she was biting her lip.  
Scorpius clenched his fist. _You and Rose are connected in more ways than one._ "Nope. I'm happy for you. I need to get ready for Tessa's party."

"Tessa's party," I hissed, gripping Scorp's shoulder. "You _promised_ that you would be at Quidditch tryouts. I need you to be Chaser!" I had gone to Neville and asked to book the field the same time as I originally wanted to, just a different date. Luckily, when Scorp said that he wouldn't go to her stupid party until I woke up, she changed the date when she discovered that I was awake. "I need to know that you're dedicated."

"I am dedicated," Scorp protested. "I just really need this party." His eyes flickered towards Rose, who was poking at her salad. "Especially now." I must have still looked furious because Scorp pulled me into a hug and said, "I won't drink, okay? I rarely do. I'll be at chaser tryouts."

"You aren't going, are you?" I asked Al. "And are you guys going?"

"I'm going," Ava said. "When have I ever passed up on an opportunity to drink? Plus, Jonah asked me to come." We all groaned. She seriously needed to stop letting the boy play her!

"I have a date tonight," Rose mumbled, getting out of her seat. "I need to go. I don't want to be late for class."

I watched her go. Something seemed off about her, but I was't really sure what it was. "I'm not going. I told Paige that I'd take her out. And I promised you that I wouldn't go."

I looked at Al. "Thanks," I whispered. "I'll see you at tryouts."


	6. Flying Right Into This

_I could feel the wand surrounding me, trying to consume me. I heard an angry voice hiss, "I have heard of you, Sophia Wood. If you do not come to me peacefully, I am not afraid to use force, my precious Wandmaker. Bring me the wand and you will not die. I am waiting."_

I woke up drenched in cold sweat, slapping my alarm clock to make the beeping stop. I struggled for breath, still remembering the wand that had tried to consume me. Willow and a center that I could't quite figure out, but I did know one thing for certain: It was not a wand that existed. And somehow, the wand was calling to me, willing me to create it, yet I knew that if I did, it could lead to the Third Wizarding War.

I shook my head, slipping into the bathroom. "Sophia, focus," I told myself, pulling on my Quidditch robes and putting my hair into a messy bun. "You have Quidditch tryouts today." I looked at my pale face in the mirror and splashed it with water, pinching my cheeks to return some of my color. I did one last check in the mirror before making my way down to the Quidditch Pitch.

I got there in record time, meaning that it was only 5:45 in the morning. I walked into the girls locker room, moving toward the cubby engraved with the words, "Captain Wood" on them. I smiled as I ran my hand over them. Two words had never sounded better. I opened the cubby and pulled out my Nightingale 360, the dark wood smooth and the silver lettering perfect. It was the best broom on the market, and dad had gotten me one for my birthday last year. I checked my watch again: 5:52. I reckoned there was time for a quick ride.

I walked outside into the brisk after-summer air and mounted my broom, flying as high as I could. I loved flying because it was the only constant in my life; it was always there even when my family wasn't, and it never changed, unlike me with my irrational crush on Al. Wow. That sounded super deep. Maybe I should become a... what do they call a person who gives deep and meaningful 'advice'?

I did a loop-de-loop on my broom and zigzagged through the goals at breakneck speed. I wanted to practice with the Quaffle, but people started arriving at the pitch, most of them blurry eyed. I grinned when I saw the familiar mop of black hair with his Firebolt 200 perched on his shoulder. When the slow of people started to slow down (basically, when Scorp showed up. He was last. Naturally.) I called, "Alright everyone!" The confused crowd looked up at me, James sent the middle finger my way, Scorp stuck his tongue out at me, and Fred was snoring against James' shoulder.

"Get into groups of ten and fly around the pitch!" I had found that it became necessary to make sure that the people trying out could actually fly because most either wanted my parents' autographs or one of the Weasley/Potter clans autographs. Sure enough, about sixty people were eliminated, some because they weren't even in bloody Gryffindor and others because they couldn't control a bloody broomstick!

"I'm trying out Beaters first!" I hollered over the noise of the complaining and giggling crowd. "Get in line and try to get a Bludger in the goalpost or get it to hit someone that you hate!" I released the Bludgers and waited. Fred was on fire, hitting the Bludgers through the goalposts, and occasionally at the competition. He and Llly (yes, as in Lily _Potter_. Al and James nearly had a heart attack when they found out that she wanted to go for Beater, but they quickly got over it when they saw her play. She may look like a little princess, but _damn_ , can that girl Beat!) actually worked really well together. I had reached my decision just as Jacob Creevey knocked himself out with his bat.

"OKAY!" I bellowed, the noise getting to be unbearable. "IF YOU WANT TO TRY OUT FOR THE CHASER POSITION, COME FORWARD!" First, I had them see if they could score a goal without a Keeper. If they managed that, they had five chances to try and get a Quaffle past me. A few of them managed to get a Quaffle by me, but most couldn't even shoot before I caught the Quaffle. Not that that makes any sense, but it just means that I'm really good, okay?

Once I had finished Chaser tryouts, I called for Seekers. Once Al caught the Snitch in seven minutes flat, I knew that I had my team. When everyone was on the ground, all hot and sweaty (do NOT look at Al right now. Do NOT look at how his shirt is plastered against his body, showing his muscles beautifully.) I announced my team. "If I call your name, then you've made the team. ALL OF MY DECISIONS ARE FINAL, so bugger the bloody hell off if you're not called." I grabbed my list and read, "For Beaters, Fred Weasley and Lily Potter." I heard a few complaints, but ignored them. That was always lesson number one: Ignore the haters.

"For Chasers," I said, raising my voice, "Scorpius Malfoy, James Potter, and Talia Chang-White will play for us. The Seeker is Albus Potter. First practice is tomorrow night."

I grabbed my broom and flew to the locker room before the fighting started or worse, before I started sprouting nonsense about people's wands. I groaned, remembering the dream that I had this morning. Madame Smith tried to give me a potion for a sleep without dreams, and I was thinking that I might take her up on that offer.

I stashed my broom in my cubby and put Talia's and Lily's name on the spare cubbies, the rest of my team the same as last year. "Here's to hoping," I muttered, locking the Gryffindor Locker Room behind me. I waved to Hugo as I passed the pitch. It looked like the Slytherin's were having tryouts on the same day as us.

"Sophia!" I whipped around and Rose nearly barreled into me. "Sorry," she gasped, thrusting something in my hand and grabbing her stomach. Ava showed up behind Rose, her blonde curls bouncing. She rubbed Rose's back and said, "Al told us about tryouts and we figured that you would need something to eat. It must've been a long morning."

I opened the parcel and groaned in delight seeing the avocado sandwich. "You guys are angels!" I stuffed the food into mouth and said, probably spraying food everywhere, "Rose, you need to work out more. You've been gasping for ten minutes now."

Rose straightened up and glared at me while Ava snickered. "I do not have the time to work out. If I did, I would not have the time to do my work, and then who would you copy from?"

I put a hand to my heart and Ava collapsed into a fit of giggles. "Did Rose Weasley-our little Rosie- actually make a joke? I'm astounded!"

"I bet you don't even know what that means," Rose muttered.

Ava stopped laughing and took Rose's hand. "Are you okay?" She was always the nice one in our friendship. I was the rude, sarcastic, yet everyone's favorite, one.

"I have a boyfriend."

"What?!" Ava shrieked. "Conner Malker asked you to be his girlfriend?! Why do you sound so _sad_?" Ava put her hands over her mouth. "Oh my god. Is it because he got you pregnant?"

"Okay," I interrupted, seeing Rose's face. "Let's just-"

"I have _never_ done that!" Rose screamed. "And I will not do it until- I don't know when! It has to feel right and I have to actually _like_ the bloke." Her eyes welled up with tears and she put her head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ava. I just..."

"It's okay." Ava looked at Rose and said bluntly, "You like Scorpius, don't you." Rose gaped. "It's just, when you said that you had a date, Scorp looked broken and you didn't seem excited. And you guys have a lot of sexual tension, I just can't believe that I didn't see it before, and-"

"Ava! You're rambling! Shut up, and let Rose explain."

Rose closed her eyes before nodding. Ava let out a squeal. "You guys are going to be so cute together!"

Rose shook her head rigorously. "No! Ava, you cannot tell him anything! Plus, he has Tessa and I have Conner, I guess."

Ava looked furious. "But you're _perfect_ for each other! Just like me and Jonah!"

I groaned and shoved at her shoulder. "Are you serious? You and Jonah are a freakin' train wreck! You guys are friends with benefits, but only with the benefits!"

Ava shrugged and laughed. "It works for us. Maybe one day we'll actually be a couple, but for now, I'm happy just hooking up with him."

"Who are you hooking up with?" Scorpius said, slinging an arm around Rose, who immediately blushed. "Oh, never mind. How is our lovely Jonah doing?"

"He's a prat, I hope you realize that you can do better than that." Albus had joined our little group, putting his chin on my shoulder. And now it was my turn to blush. "Hey, Soph!" He put his mouth to my ear, making me suppress a shudder. "Did you have any more dreams?" he whispered, just so I could hear. I nodded, just so that he could feel it. His breath hitched and he dragged me off, calling, "Sorry, gotta talk privately! See you for dinner!"

We left them giggling behind us. "Have fun 'talking'!" Scorpius winked at us and Al shot him the finger. He led us to the Room of Requirement, a secret room that Harry told us about. Since there was some sort of fire there, sometimes random burnt stuff pops up, but it works fine most of the time.

Al pulled me into the room, which took appeared with a purple couch and light purple lighting. I was touched that he remembered that purple, my favorite color, comforted me when I was stressed. "So," he said, taking a place on the couch. "Dream?"

"You sure you don't want to talk about Quidditch? Pretty cool tryouts, huh?"

"C'mon, captain. We all knew who was going to get the positions. Please, just talk to me?" He looked at me with his big green puppy eyes and I laughed.

"That's not going to work!" I put my head on his shoulder to block his eyes. "I don't even remember that much of it." But I was lying, and I had a feeling that Al knew it. I could still hear the hiss of his voice, telling him that he would kill me. Al shoved my shoulder. "I _might_ remember some of it. The person holding the wand knew I was there. He said that if I didn't bring him some wand, he would use force."

Al tensed. "What? Sophia, you have to tell Headmistress Clearwater! We need to protect you!"

"First of all, we don't even know that these dreams are real. And you promised not to tell anyone! I can protect myself! I don't need anyone. Albus, look. You're my best friend, and that's exactly what I need right now. A friend. Everyone's scared of me, looking at me like I'm some sort of experiment. I am sick of it! They even wanted to take away my Quidditch position, saying that I should take a break!"

We had both stood up and Al reached his hand out and brushed my cheek, wiping away tears that I hadn't known that I shed. I launched myself into his arms and sobbed. "It's okay. It'll be okay." Al stroked my hair before moving me so that he could see my face. "How about we go out tomorrow?" I hiccuped. "All five of us, we haven't had time to hang out in ages."

"Okay. But I thought that you had a date with Paige."

Al shrugged. "Eh, we're through. Turns out, she only wanted me for sex. Can you believe it?"

I forced a laugh. "So? You only wanted her for that."

"Yeah, but I didn't cheat on her." Al was rubbing the back of his wrist, a nervous habit he picked up a few years ago when we were stuck on a muggle elevator. Note to Fred and James: Not all pranks are funny. I grabbed his hand before he rubbed it raw, trying to swallow down my feeling of elation that Al broke up with the she-devil.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I think I'll take a break from girls for now. Have fun watching Scorp deal with Tessa. Watch him deal with his feelings for-" Al cut off abruptly.

"Rose?" I asked excitedly. "OMG, Scorpius likes Rose? Rose likes Scorp! We have to get them together!"

"But what about the curse?"

I smirked. "I think that I get something. All we need is Freddie, Jess, and James and everything will be fine."

Al smiled at me. "Let's go, they'll be wondering where we went."

"And what we're doing," I giggled.

When we got to our part of the dinner table (yes, we talked for _that_ long) it was oddly quiet. Scorp was angrily stabbing his food, Rose was sitting with her arms crossed, and Ava was happily eating her food. "Oh, hey guys! We were just not talking here, so if you wanted to give us some input on the situation then please, feel free, because this is kind of awkward and I'm trying my best to make-"

"Did you know that Rose and Malker are a thing?" Scorp burst out, his glass shattering.

"Is that what this is about?" I asked, exasperated. "Seriously? You're with Tessa, why shouldn't Rose be happy too?"

"Um, Sophia?" Al muttered. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I ignored him.

"Screw this, Al, Ava, and I have to find some people. You two, work it out. Or not, I don't care." I grabbed Ava's arm and tried to drag them away when there was a huge outburst from the Slytherin table.

"YOU CAN'T BE BEATER, YOU'RE A GIRL!" Hugo was screaming at a girl with choppily cut blonde hair with pink, blue, and purple highlights. She had blue eyes, and was clearly trying to keep calm.

"SHUT UP, WEASLEY! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK, I CAN BEAT CIRCLES AROUND YOU!" I blinked. I could've sworn that her eyes just turned red, and judging by Hugo's expression, he saw it too. I shook my head. I was probably just a trick of the light.

"DON'T YOU 'WEASLEY' ME, WATERROSE!"

"Waterrose? That's Lillian's sister? But Lillian is so..."

"Sweet?" Ava suggested. "Not like her?"

The little Waterrose put her hand over her eyes and stormed out of the Great Hall, Hugo following her, looking confused.

The Hall erupted in whispers.

"Welp," I said, staring at the door.

"Yep.

 _ **AN: Hey! I'm hoping to update more regularly, but I'm behind in my schoolwork, so... Also, I'll probably write a story about Hugo and Grace (Waterrose), so keep your eyes out for that. A HUGE thank you to everyone who has reviewed and favorited my story. You guys mean the world to me! Please continue to review, give me suggestions, whatever you want to do. Until next time!**_


	7. A Sticky Situation

Rose got up awkwardly. "I should probably go check on Hugo."

"No way!" Lily struggled against Zinnie and Dom, who were holding her arms, her expression was murderous. "He thinks that a girl can't be a Beater! Well, I'll show him! LET ME GO DOMINIQUE GABRIELLE WEASLEY AND ZINNIA RIVER JORDAN!"

"Oh, whipping out the middle names," Dom panted. "I'm so scared."

"You should be," Lily growled.

"Okay," Zinnie said quietly. "Let's go to our Common Room. You know that Hugo didn't mean you. You should talk to him when you're more calm." They dragged a protesting Lily away.

"You know," I stated. "We kind of need to go talk to some people, so you guys do whatever it is that you need to do, and we'll just go." If Rose and Scorp found it suspicious, they didn't show it. Rose got up and went out of the Great Hall while Scorpius stabbed moodily at his food.

I took Ava and Al's hands and led them away. "Okay, so we need to find the New Marauders. Any idea where they are?"

"Did somebody call us?" I whirled around to see all of the Marauders (it really was freaky that they just showed up whenever we needed them) and an unfamiliar girl with dark red hair and blue eyes. She was clad in all black and was very skinny, making her look like a Second Year. "This is Dylan," James answered the unasked question, slinging an arm around the girl, who gave a small wave. "She's a Sixth Year, so don't feel bad for not knowing her."

"So, what do you need?" Jess asked, leaning against Fred.

"We need help," Al said carefully. "Getting Rose and Scorpius together."

Jess looked confused. "But aren't they both dating people?"

"And didn't Rose curse Scorpius?" Fred added. "Why would they want to be together after that?"

"You have no sense of romance." Ava rolled her eyes. "Can you help us?"

Dylan whispered something to James, who got a mischievous look on his face. "Sure," he said with a smirk. "We've got just the thing. Just lead them to the Third Floor on Monday and the Marauders will handle it."

"Can't you do it earlier?" I pleaded.

Fred rolled his eyes and pulled Jess closer, almost as if a reflex. _What's going on there?_ "You know that we don't pull pranks on the weekends. We pull pranks to disrupt the school schedule. Meet you on Monday?"

"Sure. Nice meeting you Dylan."

"You too," she said in a low voice.

"Monday," Al said dejectedly.

"Can anything go right today?" I groaned.

Monday couldn't come fast enough, but when it finally did come, I immediately wished that it hadn't.

Nothing was going right. That morning, I had my worst dream yet. It was as if the wand was burning me alive and when I woke up, my arms were covered in burns and my voice was gone from screaming.

"Hey, Sophia!" Ava greeted from the Gryffindor table. She and Rose always ate with us since it wasn't necessary to sit at your own table except for the really important feasts, like the welcoming feast and the farewell feast.

 _I can't talk_ , I mouthed, gesturing to my throat. _I lost my voice._

"Oh," Ava pouted. "Do you want me to come with you to Madame Smith?" I nodded and Ava got up to walk with me when Al grabbed Ava's are from across the table. "I'll take her," he said. "I need to talk to her anyway." I motioned to my throat, indicating that I couldn't talk. Al rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll talk to you once you get your voice back. But I'm still going with you." I shrugged and we walked to the Hospital Wing, our shoulders brushing together, causing tingles to shoot up my arm.

"Hello, dearies, I'm a bit busy with-" Madame Smith cut off abruptly once she realized that it was us. "Good lord, what it is about you Wotter's that make you so accident prone! I have Ms. Weasley in the back with a cracked rib and now you! I should just reserve beds for the lot of you! Now, what is it?"

"It's Soph," Al said. "And technically, she's not a Wotter." Ouch, Al. "She's lost her voice."

"Is that all?" Madame Smith tsked. "Well, that'll just take a quick Pepper-Up Potion." I took the potion from her outstretched hand and downed it, gasping slightly as the liquid burned my throat, like alcohol. _Not_ that I know what alcohol tastes like. I am a good citizen who abides by the law.

"Do you have any burn salve?" I gasped out.

"Yes," she answered, pulling out a small glass bottle. "Why?"

"My cat got burned," I lied, tugging down the sleeves of my robes. "Can I take it back to my dorm?"

"Sure," Smith said, tossing me the bottle. "Why not take the whole lot of it. It's not like I hand brew all of these potions." She walked around a curtain covering a sickbed, grumbling.

"Feel better, Dom!" I called, dragging Al away. I seemed to be doing a lot of dragging these days.

"Thanks!" a voice said through the curtain.

We walked through the doors laughing. I pulled up my sleeves and dabbed some of the salve on it. "What?" I asked Al.

"I thought that was for Spinsters. Sophia, what happened to your arm?" He gently took my arm and examined the burns, gently rubbing the balm in, sending shivers down my spine, which sounds super cliche, but it was true. "Sophia," Al's voice was slightly hitched and I knew that my face was bright red. "How did you burn yourself?"

His hands were still rubbing circles in my arms, which was slightly distracting, causing me to go brain dead. "Um, I, um."

"You, um what?" Al asked, bringing me slightly closer. His eyes were glinting mischievously and he looked like James for a moment, which I was reminded of at that moment because there was a huge crash that came from the third floor. I pulled away from Al, still flushed, and said in an unsteady voice, "We better get Rose and Scorp to the third floor. I have a feeling that our plan is about to be put into action."

Al shut his eyes and nodded. "Okay, let's go."

We met James, Jess, Fred, and that new girl, Dylan, laughing at the end of the corridor. "We started the plan without you," Fred choked out through his laughter. "Check it out."

We peered into the corridor. "What did you do?" I asked curiously.

"Covered the floor in magical glue. Dylan created it. It won't go away unless you have that counter curse."

"We already pushed Rose and Scorpius together, see?" Jess pointed out a couple that was attached to the wall. I stifled a giggle. They looked really uncomfortable with Scorp leaning against the wall and Rose standing close enough to kiss him.

"And they can't move?" Al asked, leaning over me.

Fred smirked. "Nope." He exchanged a glance with Jessica, before pushing Al and I into the glue and running off. I cursed as Al landed on his back and I landed on top of him, straddling his legs. I blushed and tried to pull off of him only to find that I was stuck. "Shiz, I'm sorry Al. But I can't move."

"It's okay," Al said, trying to shrug, but found that he couldn't move his shoulders. "You're not that heavy."

" _That_ heavy?" I questioned with a mock gasp, trying to put a hand over my mouth but finding them stuck next to Al's head. "You mean that I'm _slightly_ heavy?" I grinned and Al laughed, saying, "You can put your full weight on me, I can handle it. I'm a Quidditch star and I'm ripped."

"Modest too." I settled down onto his lap and looked around at the other people that had been caught in the glue. I saw Lillian Waterrose sitting with her friend, Katrina Macmillan, Gertrude's sister, who was a Slytherin. Colin Creevey II was trapped midstride and-

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, and Ms. Jordan! Show yourselves!"

"No WAY."

"What's happening?" Al asked. "It's no fair, I can't see!"

"Their little glue trap caught the headmistress!" I told Al, watching as Headmistress Clearwater struggled with the effects of the glue.

"Well, James is done for. Dad's gonna torture him and Mum'll finish him off with the killing." Al rolled his eyes and I jabbed my right elbow into his stomach. "Seriously?"

"Shut up," I complained. "I'm trying to listen."

"Have the New Marauders shown up?"

I gave him a look. "Don't you think that you'd know if they had?"

"Good point."

"Now be quiet, Rose and Scorp are arguing." I strained my ears, but still couldn't hear anything besides the giggling of Lilian and Kat and Headmistress Clearwater attempting to magic herself out of the goop, which only succeeded in getting her arms stuck to her sides. "They're arguing too quietly."

Al laughed. "Would you like me to ask them if they could profess their love to each other more loudly so that you can hear it?"

"That would be very nice- oh. You're being sarcastic. Prat!" I jabbed his stomach again.

Al yelped. "Lady, stop hitting me!"

I put my head on his chest. "When do you think that they'll let us go?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that I was lying on top of Al, who, in case you didn't get the memo, I had a huge crush on!

"Um, never?" Al's voice sounded a bit strangled. I cleared my head. It was probably just wishful thinking. "I dunno. If their product isn't selling in the shops yet, I have a feeling that they're still experimenting with it." The New Marauders had a line a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes called FJJ Pranks Inc. They thought that it was clever. I thought it was stupid.

"They mentioned something about a counter curse." I groaned. "They don't have it, do they?"

"Well, we did ask them if they could get Rose and Scorp to fall in love. They probably thought that it would take time, considering everything." I looked over at Rose and Scorp. They weren't arguing but Rose had pulled a book out of her bag and Scorp had slid down the wall into a sitting position and had his eyes closed.

"Well, that was an epic failure. Even more epic since we ended up stuck in the middle of everything. Stupid Marauders!"

"Well," Al said. "Since we might be here for a while, you wanna tell me where you got those burns?"

"Nope," I said cheerfully, sitting up on his lap, looking down at him.

" _Will_ you tell me where you got the burns?"

" _No_ , Al. I don't feel like taking about it. How about we talk about Quidditch?" I swore. "Damn it, Al. We have Quidditch practice today! If we want to beat Slytherin next month we have to practice!"

Al rolled his eyes. "We have a month and a great team, Soph. Plus, you've already run us ragged and we've only been practicing for two days. Relax, and tell me about all of your problems."

"I'm not telling you where I got the burns."

Al lowered his voice. "Does it have something to do with your dreams?" I must've flinched because his eyes widened. " _Sophia_! We need to tell someone! Your dreams are obviously real. We need to figure out a way to stop the dreams."

" _No, Al._ You can't tell the teachers or they'll take me away or something." He glared at me. "I'll talk to Rose and Ava about it. They're smart. They can figure out what's happening to me without getting the teachers involved."

"Fine." And that was that. He wouldn't talk to me. He just looked at me with a contemplative expression, which didn't change even when I jabbed him with my elbow again. Eventually, I just put my head on my chest and gave exaggerated sighs.

Another two hours passed. Rose had followed in Scorpius' example and sat down with her book perched on her lap. Al was entertaining himself by making stupid faces to make me laugh. He still wasn't talking to me, but at least he wasn't ignoring me.

The corridor had been blocked off so that no more people could be caught by the glue and the New Marauders were trying to figure out a way to reverse the spell. I had a sneaking suspicion that Dylan knew the countercurse but was holding it back. She kept shooting weird looks towards us before turning to James and whispering in his ear.

Another three hours passed. "Al." I poked him with my free elbow. "I'm hungry," I complained. My stomach growled to back me up and Al laughed. "See?"

"Me too." I smirked. "What?" He asked, looking confused.

"I got you to talk to me," I said in a singsong voice. He groaned, but I could see that he was amused.

"You get crazy when you're stuck in a place for too long," Al said. "Did you know that?"

I pouted. "You mean I'm not _always_ crazy? But I try so hard to be!" Al smiled. "Does this mean that we're talking again? 'Cause I was getting real sick of just sitting here."

"Why not? It's not that important anyway. We could always get you the dreamless sleep potion Madame Smith offers," Al suggested.

"Sure," I agreed instantly. It was getting easier to control my blushing, just to let you know.

"Okay, that's it!" Headmistress Clearwater screeched (in a very dignified way, she would later tell us). "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Jordan, and Dylan!" I looked at Al in confusion. Why didn't she call Dylan by her last name? "If you do not remove this curse right now, I will expel the lot of you!"  
James grinned. "Awe, you would't do that. You'd miss us too much!"

"But luckily," Jess cut in before James dug himself into a deeper hole, "We just figured out how to get rid of the glue." She brandished her wand and said a charm that caused the ceiling to cloud and it to pour rain. I grinned, recalling a story that Ron had told us about how he had tried to get an office to stop raining during WWII (Wizarding War II). James, Jess, and Fred had been obsessed with the spell, even more so when they found out that Ron, one of the most powerful wizards ever, hadn't been able to remove it. When they figured out the spell, it hadn't stopped raining for weeks. All the classes had to be canceled. It was great!

I sputtered when the water hit me, melting away the glue. I could hear shrieks all around me and when I looked up, I saw that Rose was laughing, twirling around with Scorpius, who was hugging her to himself. I pulled Al up and smiled, nodding towards Scorpius and Rose. Rose had always loved the rain, but the rest of us hated it. Scorp always stayed in the rain with her, though, even though he didn't like. Now I realized he stayed because he loved her, but at the time, I just thought that he was taking crazy pills.

Suddenly, I was painfully aware that I was still straddling Albus. His nose was almost touching mine and I could feel his breath on my face. "Sophia," he whispered. I almost shuddered, but repressed it at the last moment, pulling myself off of Al.

"I'm starved," I said, awkwardly stretching, feeling my back crack. "You know, sitting on you is a lot harder than you would think."

"I take offense to that," Al commented, moving to stand next to me. "I have a very comfortable lap. Or so I've been told." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and I shoved him away, laughing.

"Come on. You need to feed me." I pulled at his hand. He rolled his eyes as I skipped to the kitchen.

"Or what, do you become Godzilla?"

I looked at him confused. "A what?"

Al grinned. "It's a muggle reference. We'll watch the movie over winter break."

"Okay," I grinned, tickling the pear. The House Elves greeted us, squeaking in their little voices, packing us full of food before shooing us off, our pockets bulging.

"This is so good," I moaned, stuffing about two different types of pastries in my mouth.

"You wanna slow down there, Soph?" Al looked amused. I would have hit him, but that would have meant letting go of my food, and I just wasn't willing to do that.

We were passing a cupboard in a calm silence, when I heard a rustling noise. I wouldn't have normally stopped, but there were very familiar cries coming from inside. Rose.

"Scorpius-" her voice was slightly muffled. "You cannot just-"

"Rose," Scorp sounded upset. I looked at Al with wide eyes. "My rash disappeared after we kissed!" I gasped, and Al threw his hand over my mouth, trying to stifle the noise, but they didn't seem to notice anything. "And Tessa didn't break up with me. Rose-"

"Scorp," Rose groaned. "I am with Conner."

"But, I love you!" I dug my nails into Al's hand. _Scorpius loves Rose. Ahhhhhhhhhhh!_

I was ecstatic until Rose started crying. Suddenly, I felt like I was intruding on a very personal moment. "C'mon," I whispered to Al. "We shouldn't be listening to this." He nodded and we walked off in silence.

As Al and I continued on, I turned my back on what was probably the weirdest, worst and best, awkward, day of my life so far, and my parents were Quidditch stars.

 ** _AN: Hey, y'all! I'm so sorry if this is kind of filler-like, but I do have a plan, we just need to get to Chrismas. There's more action on the way! Also, just a quick shoutout to_ mypethedwig58 _and_ Diana Black 12 _, for reviewing on most chapters and givng me encouragement to continue the story. I love you all!_**


	8. Secrets Revealed

To say that it was awkward the next morning would be an understatement. Rose was sitting at the Ravenclaw table for the first time that year, and Scorpius was sulking in his seat, staring longingly at Rose. I shot Al an confused look. I thought that he and Rose were going to be a thing!

"So," Al said in the silence. "Does anyone know where Ava is?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She sent me an owl earlier. Her mum went into labor last night and she and Alice got permission to leave school for the day."

"Lucky," Al muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Stuff it, you prat. Her mum gave birth to a girl, by the way. Her name's Frankie."

"Cool," Scorp said monotonously. "So everyone has love in their life. Great. Joy to the world."

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fantastic."

"Are you sure?" Al asked. "Are you and Tessa okay?" Al shot a glance at me. We knew what was wrong.

"Oh, that? It's over."

"But your curse!" _C'mon Scorp, admit that you're in love with Rose already!_

"Disappeared. Have no idea why. I'm gonna get in some Quidditch practice before Potions." His eyes were fixed on someone across the room, and I followed his gaze to Rose, who was walking at a hurried pace out the door. I grinned at Al.

I leaned against Al and watched as Scorp practically ran out of the Great Hall. "I hope that they get together. For real, you know?"

I felt Al's chest rumble with laughter. "Yeah." Al straightened. "Hey, that's Amor." I looked up and saw Victorie's little white owl floating around and dropping letters on random people's heads.

"Here," a little boy squeaked, handing Al his letter. I swear, that owl is... I don't know what, but it's not nice! I peered over Al's shoulder to read the letter with him.

 _Hey, Al!_

 _It's Teddy! Tori's in labor! Well, she's in labor for a second time, kind of. She already gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Janine Andromeda Lupin. The healer said that the other child is a boy. We're going to name him Remus Adrien Lupin. I heard that Neville and Hannah gave birth to a girl last night. We'll save loads spending their birthday's together!_

(I laughed. Only Teddy would think about saving money on the day he's having his first children. Not to mention, he was already filthy rich. All the Wotters are.)

 _I gotta go. Tori's freaking out, but she said to write the family letters. I figured that you could tell Soph, Rosie, Scorp, and Ava (if she's at school) about this, since you guys are always together anyway. Speaking of telling people, you should talk to Sophia. You never know._

 _-Teddy_

I looked at Al curiously. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

Al flushed red. "Nothing. Do you think that Headmistress Clearwater will let us visit Janine and Remus?"

I snorted. "Have your dad ask her, she can't say no. Or your Uncle Percy. I heard that she never quite stopped loving him."

Al rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll ask later. Or get James to pull a massive prank that would cancel classes for weeks."

"I love those!" I exclaimed. "Hey. Do you think that rely too much on the New Marauders? I mean, they aren't going to be here next year, and the last time that _we_ pulled a prank didn't end so well." Al shuddered, recalling the time we had tried to get waterballoons to fall on unsuspecting students, which resulted in the five of us getting sent to the Hospital Wing because we couldn't stop vomiting up various shades of water that tasted of plastic. We never did get directly involved with a prank since then.

Al shrugged. "Nah. Plus, we'll still have Dylan next year. She seems promising."

"And painfully shy," I said. "But promising, yeah. Ready to go to class?" I stood up and held my hand out for Al.

"Sure." Al took my hand and we kept them clasped until Al saw James walking with Fred and Jessica, as well as Dylan. "Hey! James! Have you talked to Alice yet?"

James flipped around, looking confused. "No. Why would I have?" Dylan muttered something to James, and Fressica (I've decided to make a couple name for them. I mean, if they aren't already a couple, that's for sure the way they're headed) looked at each other awkwardly.

"Because she's your _girlfriend_ ," Al said.

"Right," James laughed nervously. "Yeah, I heard that her mom had a girl. That's great." He grabbed Dylan's hand and pushed Fred forward, with Jess in tow. "We gotta go. Awesome pranks to plan. See ya!"

I looked at Albus. "That was weird, right?"

He nodded. "It's like they all know something that we don't."

I rolled my eyes and started walking to class. " _Yes_. That's what I meant by weird Albus Severus Potter. _Honestly_ , you're very thick today."  
Nothing else really interesting happened until Halloween, almost a month later.  
Scorpius and Rose still weren't dating, but they blushed a whole lot more, which was _very_ entertaining, might I add. (But when I blushed over Albus, it was totally different. _Totally_.) Rose had broken up with Conner, who started dating this girl named Amanda Hormel, a Hufflepuff the year above us, within the next week.

But, as I said, the real drama began on Halloween. It began, as most things do, with a shitload of alcohol. Now, where did we get the alcohol, you ask. Well, every year, there's a massive Halloween party in the Joint Common Room for the Forth Years and up the hosts being whoever feels like getting the booze and candy.

Anyway, it's a costume party and, for some weird reason, Rose decided to dress super slutty. I mean, Ava, I get. But Rose?

She was wearing a black leotard with sheer black tights and black boots. There were little cat ears poking out of her wild red curls, and her lips were painted a bright red with a black nose and whiskers striped onto her cheeks.

"What are you wearing?" I had screeched out when I saw her waiting in the Gryffindor Common Room, our decided meeting place. I was dressed as Professor Trelawney, so it was a fairly modest getup.

Rose had looked down at her outfit. "Oh, this? It's nothing."

"Exactly!"

Ava had come in humming, "What'd you thin- OH MY GOD, ROSE! WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?"

Rose had snorted at Ava. "Like you're one to talk." I had given Ava the once over. Rose did have a point, though. Ava was wearing a tight rubber dress that came just below her thigh, with red knee-high boots made from the same material. She had little devil horns in her hair, which was in a style similar to Rose's, and was holding a Satan spear.

"Satan?" I had questioned.

Ava had shrugged. "Why not? But- ROSE?!" Rose had rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, waiting for the boys to come down. AAAAAAND that's where we are now. _Awkwardly_ waiting for the boys to come down.

I heard a clomping on the stairs, and glanced up at the stairs, feeling my stomach clench. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose straighten up. So _that's_ who she was dressed up for! You know, I probably should've seen that before.

My eyes widened as I took in Albus' appearance. He looked _hot_. Most of the boys didn't go in costume, so he was just wearing jeans and a light-blue button-down shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, showing off his muscles nicely. He laughed when he saw who I was dressed as. "Wow, Soph. I didn't realize that having a prophetic power took such a toll on you. You look just like Trelawney!"

I shoved him off, laughing, and he took my hand. I felt my face heat up and I couldn't focus on anything but his hand clenching mine. I was vaguely aware of Scorpius making a choking noise when he saw Rose, who blushed to the roots of her hair. I felt Al loosen his grip on my hand, and I buried it in my cloak, praying for my body temperature to return to normal.

"No way," Al said, narrowing his eyes. "To both of you. You guys look...you look like..." Rose was playing with her hair and Ava crossed her arms. _You might want to get on with it Al._ "You look ridiculous! You _can't_ go looking like that! Scorpius, back me up here!"

Scorpius was ogling Rose. "Ugh..."

"Do you really want all the boys staring at them, walking up to them, touching-"

"You know what, I don't think you should wear that, Rose. Maybe you should wear something more like Sophia."

"Rude!" I cocked a hip and strutted past them, pretending to be a model. "I look beautiful and sexy, I'll have you know!" Al grinned at me before turning back to Rose and Ava. "Change," he demanded.

"No," Rose shot back. Scorpius whispered something in her ear and she turned to him, her blue eyes shining with emotion. Then, either not realizing or caring, she kissed him hard on the mouth. My eyes widened as I hit Al repeatedly and Ava squealed. Without another word, Rose went up to the Gryffindor Girls dormitory. "I'm borrowing a skirt, Soph," she called over her shoulder. Ava and I quickly exchanged glances before following her up the stairs.

Ava cleared her throat when we got up to my dormitory, ripping through my clothes. "Oh, hello," Rose acknowledged. "I'm just looking for that black tutu that you bought because you thought that you were going to be a cloud for Halloween."

Ava snorted. "Yeah, no way. What happened in there?! What's going on between you and Scorpius?"

"Yeah, I mean you did just kiss him for apparently no reason!" I exclaimed. Rose continued to ignore me, but I could see a faint blush rising on her cheeks. I could practically hear her cursing her Weasley genes. Oh. Wait. She actually is cursing her blushing genes aloud.

I hear a ripping sound and see that Ava drew her wand and made her dress into a shirt, slipping on a pair of muggle jeans. I shot her a look and she shrugged. "I figured that they wouldn't let me out looking like that."

I nodded, satisfied with her explanation, before turning back to Rose the Secretive. You know, that's a rather good detective name. "So, you're ignoring us, but we are your best friends, and I think that we deserve to know what's going on with you two, especially after that not-so-private scene in the common room. You know, if you don't start talking, I'm afraid that I won't _stop_ , plus Aves and I won't let you out of this room until you tell us what's going on between you and Mr. Scorpius Malfoy, who, incidentally, is my cousin. Remind me to kill him later for not telling me about Rose, will you Ava?"

Ava nodded through her giggles, and I was about to continue with my rant when Rose blurted out, "Three and a half weeks."

"Three and a half weeks, what, Rosie Posie?" Ava asked softly.

"I've been secretly dating Scorpius for three and a half weeks." Rose collapsed onto the pile of clothes that she had so rudely ripped out of my closet. I hope that she realized that she was going to put that away. I wouldn't clean up somebody else's mess even if it meant hell freezing over. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing, I suppose. I hear that hell is rather hot. _Anyway_.

"Why is that so embarrassing," I asked. "We knew that you liked him."

Rose peered at me through her hands. "He told me that he loved me," she said quietly. "I was still with Conner and he was still with Tessa, but he said it anyway." She let out a shuddering breath. "I didn't say it back because I don't think that I realized that I loved him, but I do, and that scares me, especially with all of my stupid overprotective cousins." Rose seemed to relax. "I could tell that he was getting antsy, and I didn't want to lose him, so I dressed like Ava." Ava let out a small noise of protest at this, even though she knew that it was true. "But he told me he liked me better when I was just being me, so I kissed him. I didn't even mean to, but he makes me that way! He makes me feel less stressed and I don't feel like I need to prove anything to him. Well, not anymore," she finished sheepishly.

"Why did you hide it from us?"

"I don't know. I guess I liked the idea of having something to myself for once. I mean, everything that I do is plastered everywhere in the Wizarding World, and what isn't, I tell you guys. But I'm glad that I kissed him. I was getting tired of hiding too." I grinned at Ava and we both tackled Rose into a hug, laughing.

By the time we returned to the common room, Rose had added a black tutu to her ensemble and Ava ditched the pitchfork. Al nodded in approval when he saw Rose and Ava. "Much better. Ready to go?" I took his and Scorpius' arm, who was attached to Rose, who was attached to Ava.

"So, you and Rose, huh?" I muttered to Scorp.

He grinned goofily and squeezed Rose's hand who smiled back. "Yeah, me and Rose."

"You love her?" I asked, thinking of Albus. I wished he loved me the way Rose and Scorpius loved each other.

He nodded, untangling himself from me and taking Rose into the Joint Common Room, leading her to the dance floor, where they slow danced to even the fast paced songs. I grinned. They were so cheesy, yet so perfect for each other. "So," Al said, offering his hand. "Do you want to dance with me?"

I wanted to say yes, but there was a candy table stocked with all of my favorites that was beckoning to me. Al noticed where my gaze was and asked, "You want to take a candy break first?"

I nodded eagerly. "You are literally the best friend in the entire world!"

Once we were pumped with candy and sugar and soda, Al led me to the dance floor, just as a slow song came on. Al pulled me closer, and despite the sugar running through my veins, I don't think that that was the reason my heart was pounding right now. I buried my head in his shoulder and he put his chin on top of it. When the song was over, I swear I could hear his heart beating a bit too fast to be considered normal. "Albus," I said quietly, slipping my hand around his neck.

"Sophia," he repeated, just as quietly, hands gripping my waist. I could hear my heart pounding and my breath hitched and he was so close and- _CRASH!_ We whipped around to see what the commotion was about.

Ava was standing with a broken bottle in her hand, her face stained with tears. I shifted my gaze to seen an alcohol covered Jonah who was tangled with Penny Reynolds, a seventh year Gryffindor. "You said exclusive friends with benefits," Ava choked out. "That doesn't look exclusive to me."

Jonah reached for Ava. "Ava, please!" _Smack_. Ava's hand flew across his face and she turned towards Penny and snarled, "I hope that you're happy together."

"I didn't know, honestly Ava," Penny said, moving away from Jonah. Ava shook her head tiredly before running out of the room. I locked eyes with Rose from across the room and turned to Al. "Listen, I-" I cut off, not knowing what to say. He gently kissed my cheek, which just about stopped my heart, I'll have you know, and said, "I understand. I would go too if I could get up the stairs." I nodded and turned to go when Al grabbed my arm. "Take care of her. We'll hex the bastard into oblivion, okay." I nodded again and ran with Rose to the Ravenclaw Girl dormitory.

We found Ava curled up on her bed, her body heaving with sobs, and Rose and I lay down on either side of her, holding her until she could say something. "I really liked him," Ava said in a hoarse voice before the tears reclaimed her. We hugged her and rubbed her back until she fell asleep, the three of us sharing a bed. A bed that Ava barely moved from in the next month.

 _ **AN: So, here it is! My next chapter, which isn't really that late, if you think about it! I've decided to skip to Christmas for the next chapter so that I can**_ ** _really get this story started, but until then, enjoy my fluffy Scorrose chapters. I figured that I needed to get their story out of the way, kind of, so I can focus more on Al and Sophia. Anyway!_**

 ** _Read, Review, Favorite, do whatever you need to do! Please, your support means so much to me!_**

 ** _I love you all!_**


	9. Happy Christmas?

"Okay," I began in a shaky voice. I looked around at my teammates. Scorp and Al were there, paying close attention for once in their lives. Lily was sitting, twisting her broom handle around as a nervous habit. James and Fred were taking turns flicking Talia's hair, who noticed soon after and smacked the both of them. I ignored them and focused on Al, who gave me an encouraging smile.

"Okay," I repeated, just as shakily, but I don't think that it was from the upcoming Quidditch game this time. "We haven't won the Quidditch cup in nearly five years now, and while this isn't the final game, it IS the first game of the season. We have to make an impression, and what would make a better Christmas gift for us than winning!" They looked at me with a surprising amount of _no_ enthusiasm. "Well," I said hesitantly. "LET'S JUST GO KICK SOME ARSE!" I got a much better response to that and we all rushed onto the Quidditch field.

 _"And here's the Gryffindor team, Wood, Potter, Potter, Potter, Weasley, Malfoy, and Chang-White!"_ Jessica's voice echoed throughout the pitch. " _And the Hufflepuff team... you know, I'm not sure what their names are, and I'm pretty sure I don't care."_ I stifled a laugh as Jess and Clearwater struggled with the microphone. " _I am not being difficult! Fine. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team, Stone, Summers, Corner, Finch-Fletchley, Moore, Scamander, and Smith. Whoo hoo._ "

We took our positions just as the Hufflepuffs took their positions across from us. I know what you're thinking. Why was I getting worked up over a game against Hufflepuff? Well, because, despite what one might think, the Hufflepuff Quidditch team didn't completely suck. I should know, I've spied on enough of their practices to know. I shook hands with Zircon Stone, the Hufflepuff captain. Everyone in their family had stone names. Sapphire, Topaz, Jade, Emerald, and Opal, as well as Zircon, all had blond hair and blue eyes with pointed features, and they were all sorted into Hufflepuff.

I locked eyes with Emmalene Summers, the opposing keeper. Ash and Unicorn, fourteen inches long. She didn't stray from her opinion and would argue in its favor and wouldn't lose. I'm getting better at this whole 'only seeing into people's minds when I want to' thing! I mounted my broom and took off towards the goalposts."

" _Aaaaaand they're off, and the Quaffle goes to Stone, Potter, Malfoy, and Gryffindor shoots and YES! To Gryffindor, ten-nothing! Take that you Hufflepuff stoners!_ _Sorry, Professor."_

My eyes scanned the field. I told Al to try and catch the snitch at first sighting, since the first game was really only good for impressions. As long as we won, it didn't matter how we did it. I listened to Jess's commentary, watching as Fred and Lily tried to take out as many people as possible.

" _And Smith has the Quaffle and- FREDRICK HARRISON WEASLEY, IF YOU DO NOT HIT THE BLOODY BLUDGER TOWARDS HER, I SWEAR TO FU-_ " But the other beaters had control of the bludgers, and Fred was whacking the bludgers away from Talia, who the Hufflepuff team seemed to have taken a liking too. It made sense. I mean, she was the only new member of our team and had never played a game of Hogwarts quidditch, so they assumed that she was the weak link, which she wasn't! Lily was trying to flirt with Corner, because even though she was only thirteen, she was pretty fit. Which I was allowed to admit without sounding like a lesbian! Hello! This whole freaking story is about my undying love for Albus!

 _Anyway_. Back to the game. Sadie Smith was zooming toward me, the Quaffle tucked in her left hand. I knew that she wanted to to throw it through the left hoop, just from the little signals that she was sending my way. She threw and I lunged, throwing the Quaffle back into the game and shooting her a sly wink. " _Yes! Sophia saves it! That's my girl! I am_ not _being biased, professor."_ Talia snagged the Quaffle and scored, making the the score 20-0 to Gryffindor.

We were thirty minutes into the game and the score was 90-10 to us, but we were one chaser down. One of the Hufflepuff beaters pulled an illegal move, smashing one of their beater bats into Freddie's stomach, distracting him, and momentarily leaving Talia open for attack. Moore smacked the bludger to Talia and hit her in the ribs and she had to be escorted to the Hospital Wing. Jess had a minor flip out. _"BLOODY HOOCH! IF YOU DON'T CALL A FOUL THEN, I SWEAR TO MERLIN, YOU WILL WAKE UP WITHOUT HAIR TOMORROW!"_

I was getting pretty impatient and the freezing weather wasn't helping. _Catch the bloody snitch, Al_. Just as I said it-well, thought it- Jess hollered, " _Oh my GOD! Albus Potter has seen the snitch! CATCH THE BLOODY SNITCH, AL!"_ No, the irony is not lost on me.

I nodded to Scorp. This was the best time to try one get some extra goals in since most people were distracted watching the seeker try and catch the snitch. Fred hit a bludger at Summers and Lily hit a bludger at Smith, who dropped the Quaffle into James' waiting arms. He threw the Quaffle through the hoop where Scorp caught it form the other side of the hoops, who tossed it back to James. They kept scoring until Jess' voice rang out, " _Albus catches the snitch! GRYFFINDOR WINS! SUCK ON THAT, HUFFLEPRATS! 280-40! WE BEAT YOU, YOU MOTHERFU-"_ Al swooped me into a hug the second my feet hit the ground. I could vaguely hear Jess screaming in the background, " _I don't care if it's not ladylike to curse! My mum does it all the time, and she's classy as fu-!_ " But Al's arms were around me and he was whispering, "That was a clever move, Soph. It's your first victory as captain. How d'you feel?"

"Pretty bloody fantastic!" I cheered, wrapping my arms around him tighter.

Instead of going to the victory party, I packed my bag. It was nearly Christmas time and Rose and Ava were lying on my bed, not doing anything to help me. They were _such_ supportive friends. Note the sarcasm, people.

Ava was doing much better, by the way. I mean, she was a bit more aggressive toward Jonah than usual. And by aggressive I mean that she would either shoot him the finger or punch him in the jaw. Yeah, he started to learn to run the other way when he saw Ava approaching.

I was doing okay with the whole "Wandmaker" thing. I think. I mean, I haven't had any of those weird dreams thanks to the (foul) potion Madame Smith made for me. She stocked me up for the winter holidays with strict instructions to Albus (since he lived RIGHT next door) to make me drink the entire thing.

But the most entertaining thing that happened while getting ready for Christmas was the during the train ride back. Don't look at me like that, the train ride back is _so_ still getting ready time. You have to be mentally prepared to spend a Christmas with the Wotters.

We were all sprawled around in the compartment. Rose was reading a book, curled up in Scorp's lap and he had an arm around her, and was snoring lightly. Ava and Al were playing exploding snap on my stomach, which was an extra challenge, especially since I was fidgety. We sat in a comfortable silence for about half the way there, but Rose interrupted the peace with a loud shriek. Her book tumbled out of her hand, Scorp banged his head trying to sit up, and the deck exploded on my freakin' stomach.

"Ouch!" I cried, sitting up, which made me hit Al's head, causing us both to yelp in pain. "Bloody hell, woman!"

Rose flushed bright red. "Sorry. I just realized that I have to tell my dad that Scorp is my boyfriend."

Scor shrugged. "So? I'm pretty sure that he knows that I like you. I mean, I had to talk to Hermione to ask if I had permission to date you!"

Ava squinted at him. "Why didn't you ask Ron? It's tradition to get the father's blessing to date the daughter."

"Are you kidding? I'm not telling Ron! That would be bloody suicide!" Rose looked smugly at him. "I love you?"

Rose kissed his cheek. "I love you, too." I smiled. I had never heard Rose say it to Scorp before, and they were just SO CUTE together!

"You don't think your mom told him?" Scorp asked hopefully.

"No way. She's sick of being on the receiving of my dad's tantrums. Anyway. I think that we should just wing it. Or not tell them. Either one."

"Maybe we should wait to tell him."

"Or you could plant a big one on her in front of Ron and let him figure out the rest," I suggested, leaning against Al. He had been a lot more touchy-feely lately. Or maybe that was just me being hopeful.

Anyway! I seem to be using that word a rather lot. Goes to show how often my train of thought, well...trains off. Wow, so I got off topic again.

Anyway (and there it is again), Rose and Scorpius were back on the whole 'telling Ron thing.' "Maybe we could set up a lunch," Rose suggested. "Yeah, and then we tell them over lunch, when my dad's eating. Daddy's always happiest when he's eating." Rose got a mischievous look on her face and turned towards the rest of us.

"No," I said automatically.

"Why not? The more witnesses, the better."

Ava looked around confusedly. "What's going on?"

"Rose wants all of us to go to the lunch with her," I explained.

"Rosie," Scorp said softly. "I really want to tell them. Just the two of us. So he knows that I'm really serious about you."

"You are?" Scorp kissed her on the lips. Ava and I 'awed' and they both pulled back, looking embarrassed. I winked at them and Ava gave them a flirty wave.

By the end of the train ride, Rose had come up with this elaborate plan on how to tell Ron about her and Scorp, in a way that only Rose could make things complicated.

But Scorp seemed to forget about his girlfriend's plan, as the second that Scorp saw the Weasley's, he turned bright red and blurted out, "I'm dating your daughter." I burst into laughter and kept laughing for about a minute before I realized that I wasn't the only one laughing. Ron was cracking up!

"Sir?" Scorp asked meekly.

"Yeah, daddy. Why are you laughing?"

"Did you seriously think that 'Mione wouldn't tell me about the two of you?" Ron gasped out. "Plus, you guys act exactly like Hermione and I did before we got together, so I figured that it was only a matter of time before the two of you fell in love." Ron turned serious. "But if you hurt my daughter, I am still capable of killing a Dark Lord, I can sure as hell kill an idiot boy."

Scorp nodded, looking scared. "Uncle Ron," Albus put in. "You weren't the one who killed Voldemort. My dad killed him!"

"Details," Ron said, waving a hand. "Sophia!" He said noticing me. His eyebrows went up when he saw me. For a moment, I wondered why he was looking at me weirdly when I remembered that Al's arm was slung around my shoulder. "Sophia."

I shoved Al's shoulder off of me and gave Ron a hug. I continued on and gave the rest of the clan hugs. We all piled into the cars, each going with their own families, except for me. I went with the Potter's. They always took me home since my parents were out of town until Christmas Eve, and a House Elf isn't exactly allowed to pick me up from the train station. "So," Harry said from the drivers seat. "How was your term?"

"Great!" James said. "We pulled a bunch of great pranks. Grandpa Potter would have been proud. Oh, and we met this girl named Dylan. She's the one that you said could come over for Christmas this year. But she's staying with the Jordan's."

Ginny looked at James through the mirror. "Dylan, huh? And how's Alice?"

"Good," James said, running a hand through his hair. "So, Lily, how was your term?" I rolled my eyes. Subtle topic change, James.

"Just, great," Lily grumbled. "Lorcan has been giving me even more crap. But at least we won the first game of the season! Sophia came up with this awesome move..." Lily's bubbly voice filled the car as she recounted all of the fun things that she did.

I relaxed in my seat. It was good to be home.

* * *

"Miss Sophia!" I peered blearily at the elf.

"Yeah," I yawned.

"The Potter's are departing to the Burrow in only two hours." Winky tugged nervously at her ears. "Young mistress must pack and get dressed."

"Fine," I groaned. I really was NOT a morning person. I stumbled to my bathroom, braiding my light brown hair quickly. Once I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I felt considerably more awake. I pulled on a tank top, then a long sleeved shirt, then a dark blue turtleneck sweater top. I hopped into tights then jeans and then fuzzy socks and boots. And don't you judge me, England winters are cold! I packed a bunch of randomness that I needed and the Christmas gifts that I had gotten for my friends.

I grabbed the trunk and, braving the cold, dashed through the light snow to the Potter's house. I pounded on their door, shivering. In case it wasn't noticeable, I really hated the cold. When somebody finally opened the door, and jumped into their arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I heard a familiar laugh and fell out of his arms blushing. "Sorry," I muttered to Al.

He grinned. "It's okay. I know how much you hate the cold. Lily's being difficult, so we're going to have catch a later portkey. Want some cocoa?"

I nodded, then shook my head very hard. "Wait! Who's making it?"

Al rolled his eyes. "Kreacher. Obviously."

"Okay. Then I'd love some cocoa."

Al led me into their kitchen, leaving my bag at the front of the house with the rest of the luggage. "Are you implying that I can't cook?"

"No," I said, accepting the warm treat from the house-elf, before opening on of the cabinets and grabbing the bag of marshmallows, sprinkling a few extra ones into my cocoa. Al laughed. "I'm not _implying_ that you can't cook. I'm _saying_ that you can't cook."

"Oi!" Al protested. He had opted for whipped cream, and was holding a spoon covered in the fluff when he got an evil look in his eyes. "Take it back," he said, scooping up more cream and advancing toward me. I slowly backed away, saying, "You stay away from me!"

He chased me around the kitchen and I threw marshmallows at him, which wasn't very effective, but it was pretty fun. We were both laughing hysterically, when Al finally pinned me against a counter. My laughter fizzled out, realizing how I was pressed up against basically every inch of his body. Al had also stopped laughing and slowly lifted his hand and traced whipped cream on my lips, which caused me to stare at his. "Sophia," Al whispered, his voice slightly hitched. His lips were moving closer to mine and I leaned up to meet his when an amused voice said, "Well, isn't this cozy."

Al and I sprang apart, my hand flying to my lips to wipe off the whipped cream. My heart was pounding and I was breathing heavily. Al's face was flushed. _Oh my god. I almost just kissed Albus Potter._

James leaned against the doorway, a smirk gracing his features. "Mum said to get you guys. The portkey's leaving in about five minutes. She wants to make sure that you guys don't miss it. But please. Don't let me stop whatever activities you were previously engaged in."

"Shut up," Al grumbled, refusing to look at me, and following James, who shot me a wink, out of the kitchen.

I buried my face in my hands. _I almost just kissed Albus Severus Potter_.

When we got to the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley gave us so much to do that nobody really got time to talk. Plus, Al made sure that we weren't working together. Listen, I didn't care that he tried to kiss me (lie), I just wanted to know if he wanted us to pretend like it never happened, because I could totally do that (another lie).

All of the Wotter's had arrived early to help, plus some of the people who were staying with them. Teddy and Tori had left Janine and Remus with Tori's grandparents in France, but they brought pictures. Little Janine's hair kept changing colors, but Remus' hair just remained blond. They said that he probably wasn't a metamorphous. Alice and Ava had come with a girl named Ryan, who had blonde hair and way too much make up on.

"This is Ryan," Alice had introduced her. She had intertwined their fingers before saying, "My girlfriend." Ryan had glared at us, as if daring any of us to object. James had looked relieved. I still wasn't sure why Alice and James pretended to date, but maybe Alice was afraid that her parents wouldn't approve of her being a lesbian. I honestly hadn't the foggiest clue.

Anyway. After an AMAZING Christmas dinner (seriously, Mrs. Weasley was a better cook than the house elves at Hogwarts), all of the kids gathered around the fireplace, where we were in our pajamas and had laid out about a million blankets and a dozen pillows. Every year, all the kids would have a joint sleepover at the Burrow. We played truth or dare, and had the BEST time. Usually. Sometimes the dares got pretty wild and the truths got really embarrassing, but that's not the point.

There were way more people this year. We had the regulars-Rose, Hugo, Lily, Al, James, Dom, Louis, Victorie and Teddy (who had refused to miss out on the fun, even though they were considered adults now), Roxie, Fred, Molly, Jess, Zinnie, Ava, Alice, Xander, Lorc, Scorp, Basil, Victorie's best friend, Chai, Teddy's best friend (what is with them and friends that have food names?), Cole and Callie, Lucy's best friends, and me, of course. But this year he had added Dylan, Ryan, Roxie's friend Viviana, and Molly's friend Jordan. Even though that doesn't seem like that many extra people, when you already have a bazillion people in front of the fire place, even four more people feel like you're being suffocated.

We were all slung across different pieces of furniture and other people's legs, or curled up in their arms. Teddy and Tori were on the couch, Tori sitting between Teddy's legs. Jessica was leaning against Fred with her legs slung over James' lap, which Dylan was sitting in. Personally, I was leaning against the couch with my legs tangled with Ava's, sitting next to Rose and Scorp, who weren't touching per Ron's demand. Al was sitting on the other side of the room, chatting with Roxie and Vivi. I shot a look to his back and rolled my eyes. "What happened between you two?" Ava asked, following my line of sight.

"Nothing," I sighed as Fred loudly clapped his hands.

"Who wants to start this years Christmas sleepover off with the first truth or dare question?" he shouted. When no-one respond, he grinned and said, "Okay, I will. Jessica, truth or dare."

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss me. On the lips," Fred quickly added, since he knew that if he didn't she would probably kiss him on the cheek. Everyone groaned, saying how lame of a dare that was, but didn't look away when Jess slung her leg around, straddling Fred's hips. She kissed him lightly and quickly, her face on fire, and I could practically feel the electricity between them. "That wasn't so bad," Fred said, his voice choked up.

"Whatever," Jess responded, settling on his lap, slipping her hand into his. It was a subtle move, but I saw it and I could tell that Fred sure as hell felt it. "Alice, truth or dare."

"Um, truth."

"Fine. Why did you go out with James if you're a lesbian?"

"That's you're question?" Alice asked. "James needed help getting rid of his stalker ex-girlfriend. I wanted to figure out if I was a lesbian or not. It just worked out that way."

"And you're for sure lesbian?"

"Yes," Ryan said in her husky voice. "She's my girlfriend, and I only date girls who are one hundred percent bitches. So BACK OFF." Alice looked at her fondly and leaned in to give her a kiss. Honestly, it was like a porn show in here. Except, you know ,without the porn part. So really, it was nothing like a porn show.

ANYWAY...

I exchanged glances with Ava. She glared in response and muttered, "Whore." It was clear that she didn't approve of her sister's new girlfriend. "Okay," Ava said, glowering. "Alice, it's your turn."

"Fine," Alice snapped. "Ava, truth or dare."

"Dare."

"I dare you to send Leo an owl telling him that you like him." My eyes widened. Leo was this cute muggle that was in Ava's grade when she went to muggle elementary school. He had curly black hair and blue-green eyes and was absolutely in love with Ava. They still talked all the time and Ava had developed a crush on him, but since she thought that it could never happen, she did the whole Jonah thing.

"What?" Ava screeched. "First of all, even if I did like Leo, which I don't, I can't send him an owl. He's a muggle! That's breaking the Statute of Secrecy." Alice shot her a smug look, responding with a, "Well, you've gotta write. Those are the rules of the game."

"Fine," Ava grumbled. "But if he ends up hating me, then it's all your fault." She grabbed a piece of scratch paper and scribbled a note on it. "'Dear Leo," she read aloud. "It's Ava. I know you're probably wondering about the owl, but let's ignore that for now. I just wanted to tell you that I've had the biggest crush on you since I've met you. Love, Ava.'" Alice grinned at her and Ava gave the letter to Hermes, the Weasley family owl.

I tuned out of the lame dares and annoying truths, watching hair change colors, people walk around naked, someone getting grounded, and all that shit, until a familiar name came up, "Okay, Albus," James said. "Truth or dare."

Al suddenly looked really nervous. "Are you sure that you don't want to choose something else?"

"You know what, Albus," I said cooly. "I think that we should let James decide. And I think that we're all rather interested in what you have to say. Or what you're going to do."

"Yeah, Al," James agreed. "So, what'll it be? Truth or dare?"

"Dare, I guess," Al said reluctantly, shooting a me a glance.

James' signature smirk was plastered across his face. "I dare you to take Sophia into the kitchen cupboard and stay there the entire night."

"What?" I sputtered. "That isn't fair! This is his dare, don't drag me into this!"

"Oh? So do you want me to tell everyone here what-"

"Okay!" Al shouted. He got up an roughly pulled me to my feet. I quickly grabbed a blanket before Al called, "We're going!" He dragged me into the kitchen cupboard and I spread the blanket on the floor. I sat down and pulled my knees to my chest, while Al sat across from me, sitting in that boyish way of his that made me want to snog the hell out of him.

"So," I started awkwardly.

"So," he repeated.

"Oh, come on," I groaned. "Are you seriously just going to ignore me? I don't care if you want to ignore what happened, but go to hell if you think that you can ignore me! You're one of my best friends, and I-"

"Sophia, shut up!" Al cried, rubbing his wrist. "I don't want to ignore you or what almost happened, I just..." He groaned. "Paige wasn't cheating on me. I broke up with her because I liked- like- someone else. And then I never found someone else because of that someone, and Sophia, you're doing crazy things to me, and I've never felt like this before, and I just have a feeling that-"

I looked at Al. _He likes me!_ I thought giddily. I inched my way closer to him until I was sitting next to him, the side of my body pressed up against his. His eyes snapped up to mine before moving down to linger on my lips. I moved my face closer to his, my eyes attached to his lips. "Albus," I whispered, mimicking what what he had said earlier.

And then it finally happened. His lips softly met mine and I kissed him back just as softly. We broke apart far too soon and he rested his forehead against mine, his green eyes meeting my brown eyes with an electric haze.

"Hi," I whispered.

He smiled, a breathtaking, honest smile that I hadn't seen in far too long. "Hey."

I moved forward and straddled his lap. I kissed him again, but this time the kiss was more heated. My hand slid into his hair and one of his hands came to wrap around my waist and the other yanked my head back, causing me to moan. It became a battle between our tongues and teeth, and we were smiling and moaning-

But then he moved to my neck, and I realized how fast we were going. Too fast. "Wait," I panted. He pulled back, his eyes bright and cheeks flushed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking concerned.

I gave him a small smile. "I just... I've never done this with a guy before." I was painfully aware that I was still straddling him, but I had no desire to move. "Can we just... lie down for a while?"

"Sure," Al said. He laid down, pulling me on top of him so that my head rested in the crook of his neck and so that my hand lay on his heart. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it on top of us before wrapping his arms around me. We stayed like that, just breathing, listening to our hearts beat.

"Good night, Al."

"Night, Soph. Happy Christmas."

I snuggled into Al, closing my eyes. _Happy Christmas indeed_.

The next day I woke up enveloped in warmth. I looked up at Al and smiled. I was so happy that last night wasn't a dream. I mean, I've had enough of them to know what they're like, but this was better than anything that I could've dreamed up.

I tried to squirm out of Al's arms because, hey, after drinking that much eggnog last night, a girls bladder can get pretty full. Wow, that was probably TMI. Just as I was trying to get out of Al's arms without waking him, his grip tightened on me. "Where d'you think you're going?"

I smiled at him. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"Wait." He opened his eyes and sat up, shifting around so that he could pull something out of his pocket. "I have your Christmas present. And since it's Christmas morning, you have to at least open one present before you do anything else."

"Okay," I said with an over exaggerated sigh. I carefully opened the small package which revealed a small silver charm bracelet. I gave a fake smile. I hated jewelry and Al knew that.

He must've seen my expression because he laughed. "Tap the charm twice." I did what he said and the bracelet morphed into a small mirror the size of my fist. "I have the other mirror," Al explained. "Just say my name into the mirror and we can talk. My dad gave them to me and Aunt Hermione helped me charm them."

"Albus," I said into the mirror. Immediately, Al's silver chain necklace started vibrating, and when he took it off, it expanded into a mirror almost identical to mine. "That is so cool!" I exclaimed. I double tapped the mirror and it shrank back into the charm bracelet. I held out my wrist and Al put it on for me.

I tentatively leaned forward and kissed him. I felt Al smile against my lips and he tugged me onto his lap. I indulged in the kiss for a few more moments, feeling the most happy that I've ever felt. I pulled away and laughed when his lips tried to follow mine. "I seriously need to go to the loo."

"Okay," Al groaned. "But be back soon!"

"Sure," I laughed. I made my way over to the bathroom and knocked to make sure that nobody was in there. You would be surprised at the position that I'd found Teddy and Tori in last year. I swear, that image plagues my mind.

When nobody answered, I walked in, only to see an unfamiliar face leaning against the shower. "I'm-I... Sorry," I stuttered.

Then blinding pain struck me and I kneeled over. I realized that I recognized the wand that had cursed me. _Walnut and Unicorn_. This was the wand that tortured Mr. Ollivander. I shrieked as the torturer hit me with the curse again. "Shut up, Wandmaker," the voice hissed and a hand grabbed me around the neck. He apparated and I blacked out, still feeling the torturous pain.

 ** _AN: I'm sorry that I haven't updated regularly! Please don't kill me! But on the bright side, this is the longest chapter that I've written so far! And there was a lot of Sophia/Albus action in this chapter. Woo hoo! Except I'm evil since Sophia is now kidnapped and they were getting along so well._**

 ** _Oh well. This story is actually getting started! Anyway, please REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! I love you all!_**


	10. Everyone Hates Americans

My eyes opened blearily as I was slammed onto a rough dirt floor. My ears were ringing and I couldn't hear anything but my own thoughts. A sneering face looked down on me: a man with greasy brown hair and a large nose. I don't think that he realized that I was awake yet since he just walked out of the cave without sealing the enterence.

He began talking to a man almost as ugly as he. I took a closer look and realized that the both of them had tattoos on their necks. I squinted and caught the number of the second man. 145273.

I tried to shift myself into a more comfortable position but screamed in pain when I moved, bringing the attention of the two men back onto me. The one that kidnapped me brandished his wand and I felt a streak of pain before I blacked out again.

145273 145273 145273 145273 145273 145273 145273 145273 145273 145273

The next time that I woke up, my captors had sealed the enterence to my cave. I had awoken to a buzzing feeling on my wrist, but instead of trying to figure out what it was, I stayed laying down, afraid that if I moved I would feel the bone-shattering pain again. My eyes roamed around the room. It was made of packed dirt and, as far as I could tell, there was no real entrance. You must only be allowed to access it from the outside by magic. There was an old bed in one corner and a grimy desk near the door, a light hovering over it.

I tried to sit up again, but my body didn't like that idea and decided to once again darken my vision.

When I once again reawoke, my body was in significantly less pain and there was someone standing over me. A girl with curly blond hair and golden eyes was feeding me some kind of vile potion. My eyes immediately moved to her neck where I saw familiar looking numbers: 173452. She smirked once she saw that I was awake and said, "Good." I jerked my head back. She sounded American. "You're up. I'll be telling the commander and he'll tell you everything."

"Where am I?" I tried to ask through parched lips.

The girl sneered at me and kicked me in the stomach. "You shall not speak unless given specific orders from the commander." I nodded to show I understood and she left the room at a brisk pace.

I only had to wait a few moments before someone else came into the room. I gasped at the man's size. He was HUGE and had muscles rippling noticeably throughout his body. He was bald with a scar running from the top of his forehead to the bottom of his lips. "Now, Emma," the man said in an American accent. "This is no way to treat our prisoner. Get her seated in the desk." The blonde girl I had seen earlier- Emma- grabbed me by the arm and forced me into the desk I had seen earlier.

"What do you want with me?" I spat, glaring at the "commander".

Emma hissed at me, but the man just laughed. "Calm, my dear." He turned back toward me. "Well, you are the new Wandmaker, are you not?"

"I thought that Americans had their own Wandmakers."

"Ah, we do. Alas, there is only one true Wandmaker that is chosen over the years. The ones that we have in America are just descendants from true Wandmakers." He came closer to me and kneeled. My nose wrinkled in disgust and I had to fight the urge to vomit. "And we need the true Wandmaker. We need you to make the most powerful wand of this age to start the next great prophesy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know about any 'powerful wand' business." My eyes roamed his neck, trying to find the numbers that I had grown accustomed to seeing.

"Yes, but you will. Emma?" Emma handed the Commander a small object. He lifted the parcel to my face and revealed a small sphere. "Touch the sphere and you'll know our new wand. Touch it," he bellowed, grabbing my arm, pinching it so hard that it made me cry out in pain. He touched my arm to the orb and my mind was immediately flooded with information. Willow wood from the Whomping Willow on Hogwarts. Thestral hair braided with Unicorn and Kelpie hair. The design was so specific, but my hands were itching to make it.

My eyes, which I hadn't realized I closed, shot open to see the Commander holding a small vile of silvery mist, which I came to find out was my memory. The man grinned evilly, pocketing the container. "We'll get you what you need and you shall make the wand for us. Don't try to switch the design or trick us in any way. If you do..." He flicked his wand toward me and my body was bent backwards in pain. "Get some sleep. You'll need it. This is the last peaceful night that I'll be giving you." He and Emma sauntered out of my cave, leaving me to stumble over to the creaky bed using the faint light of the lantern. I clumsily reached out to undo my bracelet and quietly sobbed, "Albus," into it.

My bracelet morphed into the mirror to reveal Al's worried face. There was a lot of noise around him and I saw flashes of red hair behind him. "Sophia!" Al cried. He turned around to call to someone, "I have Sophia on the mirror! Dad, Mum, Oliver, Alicia, Uncle Ron, Aunt-"

"Al!" I whispered to him. "I don't know how much time I've got."

The mirror was snatched from his grasp and I was suddenly looking at my Mum, who was weeping openly, and Dad, who looked tense enough to pass for a statue. I wanted to cry. I missed them so much. "Hi," I choked out.

"Sophia! My beautiful daughter. Are you okay, darling? We've been trying to find you for nearly a week, but it's like you've disappeared. Oh, my baby! Did they hurt you? You look pale and underfed and-"

"Sophia," Dad inturrupted urgently. "My love. You need to tell Harry everything that you know about your surroundings. We're going to find you. Hang in there. We love you."

"I love you guys too."

The mirror was passed to Harry, who was crowded by Ron and Hermione. They all looked stressed and as if they hadn't slept properly for several days. "Sophia. Can you tell me about where you are?" Harry asked gently.

"Um," I started looking around. I held up the mirror so they could see my surroundings. "I'm in a cave-"

"Can you tell us about what you've seen? Like the people and what they want?" Ron said, cutting me off.

"They all have numbers tattooed on their necks," I recalled. "I remember one of them: 173452. That was Emma's. They all work for someone that they call the Commander. And I think that I'm in America. I'm not sure where, though." I felt exhausted just from speaking, but Hermione urged me to continue. "They said that they want me to make them a special wand so they can start some sort of prophesy."

The trio exchanged worried glances and Hermione gently said, "Thank you, darling. We're going to find you. We all love you here, okay?" I nodded shakily, biting my lip to keep from crying. "We'll get you back to Al now."

When I saw his face again, I burst into tears. He reached out a hand, as though to try and comfort me, before he realized that he couldn't reach me through the mirror. "Soph. We'll get you out of there, I promise. Just stay safe for me, okay?" I sobbed harder and Al looked around desperately. "Rose is sleeping for the first time in days," Al continued, trying to distract me. "Ava had to go talk to Leo since, you know, the whole letter thing. Scorp's parents made him go home..." He continued listing people in our family until his voice finally lulled me to sleep.

When I woke up, my mirror had turned back into a bracelet and I quickly slid it back onto my wrist so that my captors wouldn't take it away from me. It was good timing too, since just as I hid my bracelet from view, Emma came in with a pitcher of some sort of drink and an ominous looking bag.

"Good. You're up." Emma set the pitcher down on the desk and opened the bag. She shot me a glare when she saw that I was still sitting on my bed. "Get up. Or I'll make you." I stumbled over to the desk and Emma shoved the pitcher in my face. "Drink," she demanded. I took a hesitant sip before deciding to gulp down the water. It wasn't the clearest water, but I hadn't had anything to drink in days, so the sludge tasted like a million galleons.

"I got all the materials that you need to make the stupid wand," Emma continued, looking at me expectantly.

"I need my wand," I said in my scratchy voice, fingering the materials in the bag. I had never made a wand before but the stuff in the bag was calling to me.

"Fine." She tossed my wand to me and I felt a rush of joy go throughout my body. Maybe I had a chance to escape! As though she read my mind, she removed her own wand from her pocket. "Try anything and I have permission to kill you."

I nodded fearfully, which wasn't like me. Where was my Gryffindor courage?

I began to remove the things that I needed from the bag. I carefully began to braid the hairs under Emma's beady eyes, muttering ancient magic under my breath.

And so began the hardest and scariest weeks of my life.

 ** _AN:_** ** _PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review, favorite, follow, PM me. Just let me know what you think!_**


	11. Meanwhile

Ava's POV  
I sat huddled up on the park bench, waiting. It had been a week and one day since Sophia had been kidnapped and, no matter how much we begged, screamed, and cried, no one would tell us if there were any leads on where Sophia was. My mom and dad finally told me that I needed to get out of my head for a bit, so when Leo sent a letter back with the owl (I was surprised too) telling me to meet him in this park, my parents had responded yes for me.

So that was where I was now, remembering how Sophia hates that cold. "Ava?"

I looked up to see Leo, looking adorable. I really did have a crush on him. We had known each other since muggle primary school and, whenever I got off for vacation, we would meet in this park. "Hi," I said monotonously.

He shifted and put his hands in his pockets. "So... An owl delivered a note. Written on parchment. Which wasn't even the most surprising part." He looked at me expectantly. I wordlessly handed him a pamphlet. I wasn't in the mood to deal with people at the moment, especially not a muggle who I couldn't explain anything too.

I watched him, as his eyes widened, as he started shifting in his seat, as he started shaking his head. An hour passed and I just watched him, surprised that he wasn't running for the hills, so luckily, I didn't have to call the obliviators. "You gave me a pamphlet called, 'So, you're husband/wife doesn't know you're a witch?' Last I checked, I wasn't your husband. Or your wife."

"I know. But there isn't a pamphlet called, 'So, you sent your muggle crush an owl and he asked you to meet him to talk about a world that he didn't know existed?'"

I tried to make it a joke, but the way that I said it must have sounded insincere, probably because my best friend is currently being tortured who-knows-where by who-knows-what, since he looked super concerned. "Ava, are you okay? Usually all your sentences end in exclamation points, but you seem sad."

And that was when I broke. I hadn't cried since Sophia was kidnapped, I just felt empty, but Leo looked so concerned that my dam broke and curled into his side and just sobbed. And he held me, without asking questions.

Al's POV  
Eight days, seventeen hours, nineteen minutes, and twenty three seconds. She had been gone for eight days, seventeen hours, nineteen minutes, and twenty three seconds.

It was hard to believe that barely a week ago, Sophia was waking up in my arms, me being happier than I had felt in a long time. I couldn't believe that Sophia liked me back. That morning, she told me that she would be right back, gave me a kiss, the best one that I had ever had, and then she was gone. I screamed for my dad and since then, none of us had slept, all of us consumed with trying to find Sophia.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly and said, "Isn't there any way to find her? Can't we use a tracking potion or spell? Something? Anything!" I banged my fist on the table. The adults were shut up in the kitchen while the kids were crowded in the family room around the fire. A lot of parents had taken their kids when they heard that Sophia had been kidnapped, mostly the ones with muggle parents. Wizards had gotten used to this sort of thing. All the Wotters were present, as well as the kids who were of age, like Basil, Chai, Cole, and Callie.

Ryan had left, even though she was of age, telling Alice that she couldn't deal with "all of her homophobic friends in their stupid crisis about their idiot friend being kidnapped." Alice slapped her and that was goodbye to Ryan.

Now we were trying to figure out something since the aurors were proving useless. Well, some of us were. Ava had gone to clear things up with Leo and Rose had fallen asleep on Scorpius. The kids who were of age were in the kitchen, planning. But I was getting anxious. Obviously.

"We already went over this," Zinnia said quietly. "They already tried the tracking spell, but there were no results."

"And there's no such thing as a tracking potion," Dominique said helpless.

"I know, I- I just need to find her. Why aren't they finding her?" And that was about the time that my necklace expanded into a mirror and I nearly sobbed in relief. "Sophia!" I began to call over all my family members and they snatched the mirror away from me.

I sat with my head in my hands and Lily came and hugged me. "Now Mum and Dad will know how to find her. I know it."

I listened silently to their conversation and when I finally got the mirror back, I grabbed at it eagerly and drank in her features. She looked ill and tired and on the verge of tears, so I tried to distract her with stories about what was going on over here until she fell asleep.

I sighed and put my chain back around my neck, falling into a fitful sleep.

Eight days, nineteen hours, forty minutes, and two seconds.  
Teddy's POV

I was an auror. Harry was an auror, Ron was an auror, basically everyone in the family was a freaking auror and we still hadn't found out where Sophia was.

Some people say that it wasn't my story to tell, but Sophia had been in my family for as long as I could remember since she hung around the Wotters. She was like a little sister to me. Both she and Al had written to me about how they liked each other, but I had only given her advice. Al's advice was to talk to her.

Sophia had just called us via mirror and everyone went back to hiding in the kitchen and arguing about what to do. "She's in America," Cole argued. She was really scary cursebreaker when she wanted to be and it was hard to resist her and her multicolored hair. "We could set up base there. And don't think that I don't see those glances you guys are stealing at each other. I know you know where she is and what we're dealing with."

Alicia dabbed at her tears. Kingsley stared at the ceiling. I exchanged a glance with Victorie. "Those of us who aren't aurors would really like to know what we're dealing with," Lucy informed us. She was also a cursebreaker, like Cole.

"Before there was Voldemort," Kingsley began in a resigned voice. "There was an evil wizard named Grindelwald. He believed that wizards and witches were a superior race to muggles and wanted them all gone. When he was gaining power, he took an alternate personality and infiltrated the Magical Congress of the United States of America- the American equivalent to the Ministry of Magic.

"While there, he managed to get many people there, some in the Congress itself, to think in a similar way to him. Oh, they didn't realize they were being corrupted at the time, but corrupted they were. See, Grindelwald went to all corners of the world whereas Voldemort most focused his destruction in Europe.

"Anyway, he got the support of enough people in America to create a strong group of followers there. These followers were branded with numbers, similar to the way the Death Eaters were branded with the Dark Mark, and were placed in charge of torturing muggles, they're known as No-Majs there.

"It has been long suspected that, once Grindelwald was defeated, these American supporters went to do some recruitment of their own. There is research being done as to whether MACUSA itself is involved with this group.

"This is where we believe that Sophia is being held. In a part of MACUSA where their sole purpose is to bring back Grindelwald's ideology. They probably want her since she's the new Wandmaker, and so she's able to make a wand more powerful than the Elder Wand, the most powerful wand in history. And since these are Grindelwald's followers, they'll know all about the Deathly Hollows"

The room was enveloped in silence and Victorie pushed her chair away from the table and stalked out of the room. I sent Harry an apologetic look and followed her out of the room.

I found her sitting outside the Burrow, her silver hair blowing in the wind. "Hey," I sat down next to her and she leaned her head against my shoulder.

"I'm tired," she whispered.

"Of what?"

"Of interesting things happening to the Wotter family. When we were in school, we had to deal with the reintroduction to the Triwizard Tournament, where, surprise, surprise, I was picked for the Hogwarts champion. Oh, and of course it would be 'safer,' even renaming it the Competition of Witchcraft and Wizardry and inviting all the schools from around the globe to come. And of course, it was safer, Adam coming back without an eye was a mere inconvenience."

"I know, Vic."

"I'm just mad, Teddy. There is always going to be evil out there and the good side is always expected to defeat it. And I believe we can, but we must travel to a different country where there are different laws. Where their own Ministry is allowing these horrible men and women to steal Sophia from us, as if she is not a person but an object that they can use to their advantage."

She looked at me from underneath her long golden lashed. "Teddy," she said hesitantly. "We can't go."

"Vic-"

"We just had two kids, for Merlin's sake! I love Sophia, but we cannot risk our lives. Last year, maybe. But we have Janine and Remus to think about now. And I am not making 'leaving a kid parentless to save the world' a family tradition."

We stayed silent for a bit before I said, "I'm an auror, Victorie. I'm always going to be putting my life in danger."

She sighed. "I know."

"I'm going."

"I know."

"I'm not going to die."

"We," she corrected.

"Pardon?"

" _We're_ not going to die. Last I checked, there were two of us."

"But, you just said-"

"I knew I had to try," she shrugged. "I also knew that we were probably going to end up going anyway. And there's no doubt in my mind that we're coming back to our children alive."

"I love you," I told her, placing my forehead on hers. "I love you so much."

"Good," she smiled, nudging her nose to mine. "Otherwise I would be very disappointed in who I chose to have a family with."

I swallowed down her laugh with my lips and we kissed for a while, pretending that things weren't all that bad. Because maybe they weren't. I had Victorie and my twins, and we were one step closer to finding Sophia. And I knew that my parents were watching us somewhere, making sure that we got through this.

Rose's POV  
I woke with a start to Al standing over me. Naturally, with Sophia's kidnapping fresh on my mind, I screeched thinking that someone had come to steal me away as well.

"Merlin, Rose," he said, covering his ears.

"Sorry," I muttered.

"Sophia called on the mirror." I sat up so quickly that I got a crick in my neck. "She's okay. Ish. Not really, but I think they're discussing it in the kitchen now and I figured you'd want to know what was going on."

I nodded and grabbed two Extendable Ears from Hugo's Christmas bin. He claimed that he had been running low, so Uncle George and Aunt Angie got him a load of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

We shoved the ears into our own and tried to listen. Kingsley was speaking and I listened attentively, hoping that I could do research on what I heard. I had been feeling especially useless lately. Ravenclaws were supposed to be able to solve problems, not sit around waiting for their problems to be solved for them. A few tears trickled down my already swollen cheeks. _I will do whatever I can to get you back, Sophia. I promise._

Al and I listened to him explain about Grindelwald, a name I vaguely remembered. I know that Albus Dumbledore defeated him by locking him in his own prison that he had made for the muggles, but not much else. When Kingsley was finished explaining what we were up against, I was sobbing quietly and Al had ditched his ear to hug me, his own face glistening with tears.

In the back of my mind I registered that someone had scraped their chair back and was walking toward the door that Al and I were huddled by, so, through my hiccups, I crawled away from the door. Not fast enough. Victorie raised her eyebrows at us, gave a half-grin, and shook her head. "Teddy's going to be following me, if I know him at all, so you should probably scoot yourself away a bit faster."

We nodded obediently and quickly jumped to our feet. Sure enough, a few moments later, Teddy had opened the door and was walking at a hurried pace to check on Tori. I smiled slightly. I hoped that one day Scorpius and I would have a love like that. My smile fell quickly. His parents had sent for him when we told them about Sophia being stolen. I figured that they would want to help since Sophia and them are related, but they still hadn't shown their faces. It was probably smart since my dad would murder Mr. Malfoy right on sight, but I still wished that they would come.

"What now?" Al asked, interrupting my train of thought.

"The library," I said, my head spinning back into gear. "Mum put a library in the Burrow when she married Dad. She said that all proper homes had a study and she turned Dad's old room into a library. I need to do research."

Al nodded and we started to dash up the stairs when there was a pounding at the door. I exchanged a glance with Al and went to answer it. "Mrs. Malfoy," I exclaimed in surprise. "Mr. Malfoy. And... friends."

"Rose, darling," Mrs. Malfoy said. "I'm sorry that is has taken so long to arrive, but we wanted to call all of Sophia's family. This is my sister Daphne, her husband Mark, and her children, Maddie and Lena. And these are a few of her aunts and uncles. I don't have time to introduce them. Can you take care of Maddie and Lena? Where are the adults conferring?"

"Um, the kitchen, but-"

She brushed past me and all of her family followed her into the kitchen. "Sophia said that she had a small family," Al murmured.

"This is her extended family. I doubt she sees them much."

"She doesn't." We turned to see Lena and Maggie staring at us. "See us much, I mean," Lena continued, clutching Maddie's hand.

"Not everyone has a family like yours," Maggie said dryly.

"I am sorry, but you look familiar. Do you attend Hogwarts?"

"Yeah. We're both in Hufflepuff. But we want to save Sophia just as much as you do. And we're good at looking stuff up, so we can help you." I stared at her blankly. "You're a Ravenclaw. Obviously you have a plan."

"Um, yeah, we are going up to the library."

"Then let's go," Lena said, taking my hand and dragging us up to the library. I allowed myself a small silence. _We are going to save you, Sophia. I_ know _it_.

Sophia's POV  
Making the wand was proving harder than expected. Especially since they came in to torture me every few moments and, when they weren't in the mood to hurt me, they came in to make sure that I wasn't purposely messing up the wand, and making it took a lot of concentration. Plus, I was going as slow as possible.

 _Please find me_ , I begged silently. _I'm begging you Merlin, Dumbledore, and all the other great witches and wizards. Find me._

 ** _AN: So, I don't really have an excuse for not updating. Just writers block. Anyway, I went back and edited the story, so if you want you can reread that. But you don't need to. Hugs and kisses!_**


	12. Lost and Found

I had started the wooden figure of the wand. I had woven together the core, which took me more than a week to finish. I was exhausted, and I could see the bones in my arms. My throat was always itchy and my face was sticky with tears, which apparently made me weak, according to Emma, my official torturer. I felt gross and terrible all the time, no matter what I did.

And worst of all, Emma found my bracelet. When it wasn't it bracelet form.

I had been curled up on the rotten excuse for a bed talking to Al. He said that they were still trying to track down my location, but that they figured it was somewhere near the MACUSA, the American Ministry of Magic, so they had set up a base. Al said that they were being careful because they didn't want to refuel the American/British rivalry, something I hoped would be revived. They were the people who imprisoned me and tortured me and wanted me dead. I wanted the aurors to kick some American ass.

Unfortunately, Emma found me when I was talking and grabbed the mirror, smashing it into a million pieces. I had let out a strangled yell; it was my last connection to the outside world. My last connection to Al. "Do we need to move you?" she'd hissed at me. "Do they know where you are?" She had screamed and cursed me until I admitted that they thought I was in America, but I didn't even know where I was, so how was I supposed to give a heads-up to them about ways to rescue me?

So now, I was trying to slow down the process of making the wand, struggling through it. I could feel my magical energy slowly draining out from me. I wasn't ready to take on a project this big. I wiped the tears from my face and started chipping the wood magically with my wand, but it kept twitching and my wand was cracking the wood, leaving lines that would cause the wand to magically explode. Emma charged into my cave. "What's your progress? The Commander wants to see your progress, and I am not going to show him a shit wand." I handed her the wand with a shaking hand. "Is that crack supposed to be there?"

I fearfully shook my head, already feeling the Gryffindor courage leak out of me in the form of tears. She slapped me and I cried out in pain. I did not understand why it still hurt so much, but I still felt every sting like a fireball. Every. Time. "Fix it." I took my wand and waved it over the wand, but something went wrong. My wand burned orange and exploded. We both shielded our eyes, and when they opened, the wand was complete. The most powerful wand of all time was complete, and mine was gone. My heart gave a painful wrench

Emma gave a maniac grin, gently fingering the newly made wand. "The Commander is going to be very pleased." She gripped the wand and said, "Now that you are of no use to us, I have permission to kill you."

"Please, no," I sobbed, falling to my knees. "You can't." She kicked my ribs and I curled up, trying to catch my breath.

"What happened to your bravery, bitch?" she growled. "But don't worry. I won't kill you right away. Torture is one of my favorite things."

Tears stung my eyes. I wasn't really sure how I had any left, but there was evidence running down my face. "Hush, Emma." The stocky man whom I had come to know as the Commander came into the cave, a smile on his face. "This young girl has done well. You may wait to torture her until after she watches her friends and family die using the wand that she created."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my lip trembling. They couldn't take my family from me.

"Well, we've been monitoring them since they set up camp about six days ago. There're about thirteen aurors camped out, in addition to the Weasley and Potter families, plus a numerous amount of Hogwarts students who came against their parents wishes, as my resources confirmed."

"How do you know all of this?"

He smiled at me. Seriously, for an evil guy, he sure smiled a lot. "Were you not listening, dear? I have resources." He winked at me and I noticed something that I hadn't before. The numbers on his neck were the same as Emma's. He turned to Emma. "The wand?"

She handed it over to him, albeit reluctantly, and he carefully examined it. "Beautiful," he murmured. "I'll be taking the girl to their camp. We'll be able to kill them now that we finally have the most powerful wand of the century, and eventually, everyone will remember Grindelwald's name."

Emma looked longingly at the wand. "Okay. But I get to kill her, right? You won't do it before I get to?"

His tone became sharper. "Yes, dear, but it's my decision to allow her death, not yours. Remember that."

Emma ducked her head. "Yes, Commander."

"Good." He roughly pulled me off the floor, gripping my wrist. "Let's get to it." I realized that I was crying again. He dragged me out of the cave and I realized that this might be the last time that I would see the outside world. He tied a scarf around my face and dragged me a few more paces before I felt the familiar feeling of apparition. The Commander untied the scarf from my head and loosened his grip.

"Sophia." I opened my eyes. Where the Commander had been standing there was now a familiar blue-haired man.

"Teddy?" I sobbed, throwing myself into his arms.

"We have to get you home. Now."

"Wait... Where's the Commander? The real one?"

"Killed him. We have some people on the inside in MACUSA and we have reason to start a war against them. We need to get you out of here before that happens."

"Home?" I asked, my voice cracking. He nodded, scooping me into his arms. I guess he saw how weak I was. "Teddy, wait. The wand."

He grinned, lightly placed me on the ground, and snapped the wand in half, sparks flying as he did so. "Better?" I nodded, my eyes drooping. He caught me just as I fainted.

I was having a terrible dream. Emma was there, torturing Al, and I was dead. I couldn't even do anything but watch. I was screaming but no one was coming, no one was listening, no one cared...

Someone was shaking me. "Sophia! Sophia! Wake up!"

My eyes opened, my vision blurry. Al. He was sitting over me in my bed at home, his hair a mess as usual, and his eyes were bright with concern. "I'm still dreaming," I whispered. "You're not home, you're not with Al, you'll never see him again. You don't deserve to be a Gryffindor. Just stop! Stop torturing me! Stop it. Just kill me already..."

"Sophia..." He brushed a hand across my face and I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." I pulled his hand until he was lying down next to me. "I'm supposed to tell everyone whenever you wake up."

I put my head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist. He hesitantly put an arm around me and nestled his face into my hair. "Stay?" I asked softly, still breathing heavily.

"Always."

Three days later and I was still traumatized by my experience. British wizards had waged war on the American underground, and according to the updates, we were winning. Some Americans had even joined in the war when they found out that their government was partaking in illegal activities that could affect the entire wizarding world.

But I didn't know much about the war. Besides being hooked up to a magical machine that kept me healthy, I couldn't do anything in case it caused added stress, which I thought was stupid.

Except they kind of had a point. I wouldn't let anyone but Al come into my room, I was too paranoid, terrified that someone else would come and take me away from Al again. It wouldn't matter anyway. Pretty much all of the people over the age of seventeen were fighting, so the only people who would visit me were Rose, Scorp, and Ava, plus Winky, who apparently hadn't stopped crying since I had been taken.

"Sophia." Al knocked lightly on my door and I ceased my staring into empty space. "They want to know if they can see you." I shook my head, tears pricking my eyes. "Sophia, please. They're going crazy with worry and Rose and Ava could really use some girl talk."

I swallowed before exercising my seldom used voice. "I just want to be alone. Please."

Al rubbed at his wrist, coming to sit next to me on my window seat. "Sophia, I know that you're feeling crappy, I get that. But I think that you should talk to your friends."

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?" I pointed out weakly.

He gave me a look. "We're going back to Hogwarts in four days. You can talk to them now, or talk to them there. It's your choice, but I can't protect you at Hogwarts."

I felt the letter Ollivander had sent me burn in my pocket. I bit my lip and nodded my head. "Okay. They can come in."

Al looked relieved and opened the door, causing three people to tumble inside. "Sophia!" they screeched, rushing to hug me. I wrapped my skinny arms around them, and they all started talking at once.

"Guess what, I talked to Leo and told him that I'm a witch and-"

"I was looking at the broken wand pieces and I think that I can-"

"We were so worried about you-"

"You'll never guess what I found out-"

"And I'm not really sure what we are-"

"QUIET!" Al to the rescue. The three of them froze with guilt and quickly climbed off of me. Al smiled, his beautiful smile that could make anyone do anything. "Sophia is still recovering and the only reason you are allowed in here is because you guys promised that you would be calm and collected."

"You're the idiot that believed us," Ava pointed out.

Al's eyes went to the top of his head. "And Merlin knows why I did. I've known you guys forever and I _still_ trusted you."

Rose shook her head mockingly. "This is why you are not in Ravenclaw." I grinned. I had missed my friends more than I realized. "Now, shoo. Sophia, Ava, and I need to talk."

Scorpius pouted. "But I barely got to see her. And she's _my_ cousin."

"You can talk with Al," Ava reasoned. "You haven't seen him since Sophia came back. He's been glued to her side."

I blushed, and, before it could get out of hand, spoke up in my underused voice: "I actually need to talk to all of you about something." I pulled the letter out of my back pocket and handed it to Rose. "Read it. Please."

We had moved onto my bed, with myself in the middle, Al behind me, Rose and Ava on either side of me, and Scorpius kneeling in the front. Rose cleared her throat. "To Miss Sophia Wood: It is to my understanding that you are the new Wandmaker, which is a good thing for me as I am growing older and am unsure of how much longer these old hands can handle the beauty and mystery of the wands. I know that you are still a student at Hogwarts, and I would not want to disrupt your journey there, but I have spoken with Headmistress Penelope Clearwater, and if you wish to study with me, you are welcome to work with me and have tutors come to your house to fulfill your school credit." Rose looked up at me, confused. "What does this mean?"

"I can't come back to Hogwarts," I said shakily. Rose and Ava burst into tears, Scorpius hugged me, and Al walked out of the room, his jaw clenched. "Wait," I called at his back.

He turned around, his eyes blazing. "You can't come back. Or you won't." But it wasn't a question and I let him storm out of the room.

I turned to the others. "I didn't want to leave Hogwarts," I pleaded with them. "It's just that I'm the new Wandmaker and I need to study if I'm going to help the wizarding world. And Ollivander is 142 years old, so if I want to learn from the best, I need to start now."

"It's okay," Ava said, brushing my hair back. "We're still the us. It's just going to be hard without you there everyday."

"I still need to come back for OWLs and NEWTs, and I can visit on my days off and whenever you guys have a Hogsmeade visit. And I'll write every day!"

"We know," Rose said soothingly.

"Maybe you should talk to Al," Scorpius offered.

"You don't think he needs time to cool off?" I asked, twisting a strand of my hair between my fingers.

Scorp shrugged. "Nah. I think he's just hurt that you didn't tell him. He just wants an explanation."

I nodded and moved to follow Al when Ava shrieked. "You can NOT go out looking like that! You look like you've been sick in bed for weeks! You'll have a helluva lot easier time convincing him not to be mad if you look hot."

"First of all, I _have_ been sick in bed. Second of all, if he cared about me looking hot, he would've broken up with me by now. I haven't exactly been looking my best."

Scorpius cleared his throat. "I'm gonna go. I'm not that interested in gossiping about fashion and hotness."

"You live on generalizing girls into categories of hotness," Ava scoffed.

Scorp smirked. "Well, if you want my opinion, I think that looking hot would _definitely_ improve Al's opinion on the matter."

Rose smiled sweetly. "Then it is a good thing that we did not ask for your opinion." He smiled at her and moved to kiss her cheek, but she stepped out of his way. "You cannot talk about the hotness of other girls and then expect me to still want to kiss you."

"C'mon, you know you're the hottest on my list!" He noted her glare and added hastily, "Not that there is a list. Because there's not." She continued looking at him without blinking an eye. "I'm just gonna go now."

Rose rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, leaving him looking extremely satisfied. Ava groaned. "Roooose. You just failed women-kind there. You can't give into his every wish!"

"I didn't. I wanted to kiss him, so I kissed him. It had nothing to do with me surrendering to his wishes."

"Um, guys? Back to the matter at hand? I really need to talk to Al."

"Okay," Ava said, immediately moving back into her fashionista mode. "You go shower, we'll pick out an outfit. And while we're doing all that, Rose and I will talk about what we wanted to when we first requested girl talk. Go!"

I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the warm water. I hadn't taken a shower since I regained consciousness (someone had bathed me before inspecting my health) and it felt nice to rub off all of the sweat that had accumulated on me over time. I washed the oil out of my hair and, when I stepped out of the shower, I felt a lot better and knew all about Leo and Ava's relationship.

She hadn't really spoken to him since I had come back home and they hadn't kissed yet, but they had agreed to meet the day before Ava returned to Hogwarts. "And he did it by owl too," she'd exclaimed. "I think that he's really embracing the whole 'wizarding' thing. But we'll see how it turns out."

When I firmly wrapped my towel around myself, I told Ava, "I have a good feeling about Leo."

She blushed. "Me too."

Rose plugged in the hair dryer and carefully divided my hair into sections. "How about you and Scorpius, Rose?"

"It's going okay. I really like him..."

"But," Ava prompted.

"I dunno, he just has a history of mistreating women, going out every week, sleeping with a different girl every month. It's just not my personality," she explained nervously.

"He's not expecting anything of you," Ava said.

"He really loves you," I added softly. "I think you also need to talk to your boyfriend," I teased.

"I think I will talk to him. Done!" I looked at my hair, which was wavy as always. Rose deftly braided my hair and handed me over to Ava, who had picked out a pair of blue skinny jeans, which fit loosely on my nutrition deprived body, and a light purple sweater. I slipped into a pair of gray boots and wrapped a gray circle scarf around my neck.

I didn't know where Al would be, but I slipped out of my window onto the roof and leapt from my roof to his, barely making it. My legs collapsed as soon as I landed and I felt someone lightly touch my elbow. My first instinct was to scream, but my heart stopped racing when I saw a pair of familiar green eyes and I let him lead me into his room. "What were you thinking?! You're still recovering, for Merlin's sake!"

"I w-wanted t-to see you," I chattered. "A-and I f-figured you'd be on the r-roof."

He was rubbing his wrist again and he sighed. "Well, you found me. What do you want?"

I laid my hand over the one that was rubbing his wrist and gently pulled it off, revealing the wrist. It was red and dry to the touch. I pressed my lips to the area and took the hand in both of my own. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he whispered back. "I guess that I'm just disappointed that you're not coming back to Hogwarts with us. I just got you back and you're leaving again. I won't be there to protect you."

"I know, I want to stay with you too. I just really need to learn about Wandmaking. The last time I tried to make a wand, nearly all of my energy was drained. I want to learn how to listen to the wands. I want to learn how to focus my energy so that I'm able to produce wands for the entire wizarding world without killing myself in the process. And we can still talk! Not with my bracelet, they stole it from me, but I can write and visit!"

He smiled and kissed me lightly. "You taste like lemonade," he murmured against my lips.

"Ava made me put on lipgloss. She said you'd be more likely to forgive me if I looked hot." I wrapped my arms around his waist and brought his lips back to mine. We hadn't really kissed since Christmas night. " I traced his lips with my tongue and when he pulled back, I let out a noise of disapproval.

"You always look hot." I smiled, and he gathered me into his arms and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he leaned into the wall behind him.

 _I love you_ , I thought as he lightly carried me over to the bed and turned off the light. I turned so that my back was against his chest and he wrapped his arms around me. I sighed comfortably as he kissed my hair. (And get your mind out of the gutter, we just slept, for Merlin's sake!)

But instead of telling him what I wanted to say, all I said was "Thank you." And we slept.

 _ **AN: No excuses. Thanks for sticking with me! This one goes out to Jily Shipper Forever for following all of my stories and commenting to give me hope. I'll try to do better next time! Ciao!**_


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